


Losing My Mind

by LMillay



Category: American (US) Actor RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:33:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 28,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27417328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMillay/pseuds/LMillay
Summary: She had moved in temporarily while she found a home in the area. He had been nice enough to offer his home and they were good friends, so she figured why not. She put a lot of her stuff in storage and brought one suitcase with her. Then the quarantine happened. Suddenly she couldn't go anywhere and they were stuck with each other, slowly losing their minds together.
Relationships: Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

She stared at the television and then looked at him, his eyebrows were raised with a smile on his face.

"Well, you should've brought more stuff, I guess," he said looking at her and shrugging, she sighed.

"This can't go on long, right?" She asked leaning back and he smiled.

"Uh I don't know and I'm not sure they know either," he said. "It'll be fun," he assured, and she smiled. It being fun was the least of her worries, the whole reason she moved in with him was so she could find her own place without worrying about where to live. Now it was going to be ten times harder.

\---------

Three weeks into the quarantine and they were going insane. The first two weeks had been easy, take out, and video games. By the third, that was becoming stale and she was getting antsy. He was getting annoyed with her tendency to leave things where she dropped them and though she did try to remember, more times than not she would leave them. They had a few arguments about it, but both realized they were stuck together, fighting wouldn't make it easier.

She was at the counter, having a snack when she heard his footsteps and glanced over his shoulder. He was coming in with a delivery of groceries.

"Oh, are they here? Sorry," she said as she got up and went out, grabbing bags. She brought them in and put them on the island. She began putting them away as he went to get more and when he put the last of it down, he began to dig through the bags. "What are you looking for?" She asked glancing over at him and he smiled.

"I saw this thing on YouTube I wanted to try," he mumbled and dug through another bag. "Here they are," he announced and pulled out a produce bag, she eyed it.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Paqui One Chip Challenge," he announced and showed her two packages with a skull on them.

"Oh Christ, what do you do with those?" she asked crinkling her nose and he smiled at her. "Oh, no, I am not doing that," she argued, and he nodded.

"Yeah you are, always going about your Brazilian heritage, how you can withstand any type of heat, calling me a pussy," he said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Look, I just don't want to embarrass you," she started, and he laughed.

"Yeah right, you're scared," he mocked, and she sighed.

"You know what? Fine, after we put these away, I'm in," she said, and he smiled.

"Really?" he asked, sound too excited.

"Really," she agreed, and he put them down, helping her with the rest of the groceries.

He set up the phone on the table and both sat in front of the couch, she watched as he passed over one of the chip packages.

"My name is Chris Evans, and this is the one chip challenge," he announced, and she opened the package. He had said he was going to Instagram Live it, which she was surprised he knew how to do that all but now she was sincerely regretting mocking his technical abilities, she hadn't expected him to figure it out. "You ready to eat your words?" he asked, grinning at her with the chip between his fingers and she did the same.

"I'm not taking you to the hospital," she warned, and he laughed.

"One, two, three," he counted and both put the chip in their mouth, biting down on it. It was spicy, there was no doubt about that, and probably at the top of the Scoville level for what she had tried. She looked at him, his eyes were watering, his face was turning red and he was blinking a lot. He looked up at her as she calmly chewed and grabbed a napkin to wipe at her nose. "Oh, come on!" he argued, and she laughed.

"Sorry, I told you, I was raised on Brazilian food," she said with a shrug and he coughed, grabbing the cup of milk in front of him.

"This was a bad idea," he argued shaking his head and she smiled, taking another bite.

"How much does it suck to always be wrong?" she asked, and he glared at her.

"Jesus, I can't, I can't," he said shaking his head and getting up from the floor, disappearing from the room. She looked at the camera and put her finger to the stop recording button.

"Well, I think he regrets that," she said and pressed the button. She finished the chip, drank her milk, and went into the kitchen where she heard him hocking up the chip into the trash.

"Really? Nothing?" he asked looking at her and she shrugged.

"Sorry," she said, and he sighed.

"Now I just look like an asshole," he said, and she smiled.

"Is this something new for you?" she questioned, and he made a face as he marched by her. She couldn't help smiling to herself: Quarantine was going to be fun with him.


	2. The Hair Cut

She stared down at Dodger who stared back at her and wagged his tail. She looked at Chris and he had a guilty grin on his face.

"It's bad, isn't it?" He asked and she sighed.

"Well, it looks like he backed into a lawnmower or something," she said and Chris groaned. "I mean, it's not like we're going anywhere," she offered.

"It was easier last time! He just laid straight," he explained and she smiled, shrugging.

"Sorry," she said and went back into the house. She figured it would grow back in but Chris was a softie, he truly felt bad about it. She didn't think Dodger would care.

Later she was in the living room and he came in with Dodger at his heel.

"See? He still loves you, all is well," she assured and Chris looked down, shaking his head.

"I just feel bad," he said

"Chris he's a dog," she reminded.

"I know, I know," he agreed sitting down.

\-----

Chris was doing an interview with Jimmy Fallon and she stayed in the kitchen trying to make dinner. She could hear bits of what he was saying but for the most part, were ignoring it. She was dicing onions when she slipped and nearly cut herself shouting in surprise. The conversation in the other room quieted and she stared, waiting.

"You alright?" Chris called.

"Yup," she answered and inspected her finger.

"It's my temporary roommate, she was staying while she looked for a home and then everything got locked down," he explained. "But it's been nice to have someone with me, she keeps me somewhat sane," he admitted and she smiled, that was nice to hear.


	3. Shades of Pink

"I just don't understand," he said, staring at the directions and she sighed, leaning over.

"Look, all you have to do is spread it in my hair," she explained and he continued to stare at it.

"You really can't wait until the salons open?" he asked.

"Why? This is really easy, it's just better if you do it because then you can get the back, I always manage to miss parts," she explained and he sighed. "Look, I'd do it for you," she urged and he looked at her.

"Fine, fine," he agreed finally and she smiled. She gave him the gloves and he put them on, struggling with a few fingers. She took her hair out and laid the towel out on the floor, stepping on it. He eyed the mixture as he raised it to eye level and then looked at her in the mirror. "I really like your hair now," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Just do it," she pushed and he sighed, nodding. She watched as he spread it on her hair, taking the brush as he worked it in her hair. She watched with amusement at the expressions he made as he worked int through her hair, clipping it up as he went for the underlayers.

"Am I doing it right?" he asked, glancing at her in the mirror and she nodded. He leaned forward trying to get the top of her head and then moved back, she laughed. "What?" he asked and she pointed to his blue t-shirt, he looked down. "Shit, does it come out?" he asked, looking at her and she shrugged.

"If you get it treated now," she said and he sighed, staring at it.

"Fuck it," he said and took it off, tossing it to the side. She gazed at his buff torso but quickly looked away as he moved back to her hair. He worked his way around it and she had to admit he was good at it. He stepped back when he was done and looked at her. She grabbed her phone from the counter and raised it to the reflection, snapping a picture. "What was that for?" he asked and she shrugged.

"My quarantine memory book," she said and looked at the picture, approvingly. She switched to her timer and set it for 25 minutes. She helped him clean up and sat on the toilet, holding her phone."Thank you," she said and he tossed the gloves.

"Yeah, I just hope it comes out okay," He said, studying her head.

"Has to be better than Dodger's cut," she commented and he looked at her.

"Fuck you, that hurt," he said and she grinned. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and disappeared from the bathroom. The timer went off twenty-five minutes later and she turned the shower on, getting in. She rinsed until the water ran clear and then conditioned with the provided conditioner treatment. She got out and pulled the hairdryer out, working through the layers. She admired it when she was done it was a gorgeous shade of pink and she had to admit he did a damn good job. She headed out to find him and found him in the livingroom play COD. He looked up and then stared. "Whoa," he said.

"Right? You've got a fall back career," she said and he grinned, she sat beside him.

"You in?" he asked, offering a controller and she nodded, grabbing it. He switched the game over and she started playing. She had to admit, she was sure she was going to come out hating him but she was really starting to like the fucker.


	4. IG Model

She was seated at the table, staring at her Instagram, scrolling through, and watching the videos that would appear. By the sixth video, she felt eyes on her, and she looked up, Chris was staring at her.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Don't you think that's a little loud?" he asked, and she shrugged, turning it down. "Thank you," he said and continued scrolling on his own phone, as she continued hers. She passed by something and then scrolled back up, watching. She felt eyes on her again and she looked up. "What the hell kind of stuff do you follow?" he asked, and she smiled.

"Tits and ass baby," she said, and his eyebrows raised. "You interested?" she asked, flipping the phone and showing him. He looked at the screen, she knew what was playing, it was literally tits and ass. Her friend had become an Instagram model and she followed her out of loyalty. "You're such a perv," she said and turned her phone back to her, he rolled his eyes.

"I am not," he argued, and she smiled. "Who is she?" he asked without looking up and she laughed.

"My friend," she said, and he looked up.

"You know her?" he asked, and she grinned.

"Why you like her?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"She's attractive," he mumbled into his cereal and she smiled.

"Here," she said. "I sent you her page," she offered, and he smiled, she could see the red creeping into his face. "Don't be ashamed, you're a man, you're supposed to look at tits and ass," she said, getting up and putting her plate in the sink. "As long as it's not mine!" she called over her shoulder, she saw his reflection in the oven glass door as he checked her out and she smiled when he quickly looked away.

\------

Chris was bored with video games and everything else. He ordered stuff online to do and it came in droves one day. She struggled to get it in the door and a couple of boxes fell.

"Chris!" she shouted putting them down and went to grab the rest.

"Oh shit," he said as he came down the stairs and she set the boxes down, shutting the door. "Maybe I ordered too much," he muttered and lifted the first box.

"Do you think?" she asked, leaving.

"You don't even want to see what it is?" he asked.

"Not for me so I don't care!" she replied and ran up the stairs, going into the guest room she had been staying in.

A half-hour later she heard his feet on the steps as he jogged up and then knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" she asked, and he opened the door, poking his head in.

"You interested in doing something?" he asked, and she looked up from her phone.

"Sexy something?" she asked and immediately smiled seeing his eyes widen. "I'm kidding, calm down, what is it?" she asked, and he entered the room, holding up a yellow bat in one hand, a white ball in the other. "What is that?" she asked.

"Whiffle ball," he explained.

"Ugh," she groaned, and he smiled.

"Come on, please, just a little," he begged, and she rolled her eyes. "I'll let you play on my account for COD," he offered. He had been playing years before her and had tons of stuff because of it.

"Fine," she agreed and got up, following him down the stairs. They went out to the back yard and he handed her the bat.

"You go first," he said and walked away from her. She gripped the bat and waited. He pitched it to her, and she contacted the ball, hitting it. "Damn!" he exclaimed running after it and she smiled. "I didn't think you could hit!" he yelled as he grabbed the ball and she shrugged.

"My dad and brother were into baseball, you kind of learned or played by yourself!" she replied, and he smiled. They played for at least an hour until they got tired and went into the house for a drink.

"I think we had different opinions of drinks," Chris said with a water bottle and she had a whiskey glass.

"Well one of us is a man child and one of us is a grown-ass woman," she replied, and he made a face.

"I am not a man child," he argued.

"Sing Under the Sea," she demanded, and he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, my love of Disney does not equate to me being a man child," he disagreed, and she smiled.

"What time is it?" she asked, and he glanced at his watch then narrowed his eyes at her.

"Stop," he said, well knowing she was referencing his Mickey Mouse watch, she shrugged.

"Man child," she said as she walked out of the room with her drink and sat down on the couch, logging into his account on the PlayStation.


	5. Challenges

She'd be the first to admit it, alcohol and she weren't a good mix, she had found that out a long time ago. But just like anything she shouldn't have, it was so good. She continued drinking throughout the afternoon, whiskey and by the night she was quite tipsy. Chris had gone to bed, he was tired for some unknown reason or other, disappearing into his room. Passing the door, she swore she heard her friend's latest posts but shrugged, continuing with her next glass of whiskey. 

She woke up late the next morning with a hangover and groaned as someone turned all her lights on.

"How much did you drink last night?" he asked pulling it backward and she sighed.

"Too much," she said. "I'm taking a shower," she said and disappeared into her room. She took at least a half-hour shower, enjoying the warmth of the water and the massaging of the showerhead.

\----

Later, she was on her phone while he played COD and she watched a video, then looked at him.

He glanced over at her feeling her eyes on him.

"What?" he asked.

"I want to do one of these challenges," she said and held her phone out, he tried to look at it while keeping up with the match. "Here," she said, grabbing the controller and handing him her phone.

She took down whoever came in while he watched the video.

"Like on my Instagram?" he asked.

"No, mine, it's private and only my friends follow me," she said.

"We're not a couple," he said, and she sighed.

"So? We live together, we should be pretty in tune with each other," she urged, and he shrugged.

"Fine," he said, and she grinned at him, killing one last person before passing the controller back to him. After the match, she pushed the controller out of his hand and he sighed, sitting back on the couch. She pulled up her camera and switched the camera, so it was facing them. "Jesus, look at my hair," he said, patting it down and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hat off the table. She plonked it on his head, and he smiled, readjusting it.

"Okay, so I'll say the questions, and then we have to point at who it is, but eyes have to be shut," she advised.

"So, who does whatever the question asks?" he questioned, and she nodded. "Okay," he said. She pressed the record and closed her eyes.

"Are your eyes closed?" she asked.

"Yes," He replied, and she peeked. "Why don't you trust me," he said without ever opening his eyes and she smiled.

"I do, I do," she promised. "Okay, first question," she said. "Who is the messiest?" she asked and pointed to herself. "Who complains the most?" she asked and pointed to him. "Who cooks the best?" she questioned and pointed to him again. "Who gets the most annoying when they're hungry?" she asked and pointed to herself. "Who has the best ass?" she asked with a smile and heard him chuckle beside her, she pointed at herself. "Who follows the most girls on Instagram?" she asked, and he groaned.

"Oh geez," he muttered and sighed, she continued to point to herself.

"Okay, let's look," she said opening her eyes and pressing stop, pressing the video to play. They watched it, laughing at them answering the questions.

"You think you have the best ass?" he asked, and she stood, smacking her ass.

"Fuck yeah I do, you know you've looked at it," she said, and he rolled his eyes, but his face grew red. She sat back down. "But your ass is pretty on point too," she promised, and he smiled.

"Thank you," he said, and she pressed play again. "Well at least we got that last one right," he said, and she smiled.

"This is good," she said and trimmed the video to take a part of it, then posted it on her IG. "So, I walked by your door last night, heard some funny sounds from inside," she said still looking at her phone then looked up to him, he stared at her.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, and she smiled.

"Were you watching Dani?" she asked, referencing her friend and he quickly looked away.

"No," he said, and she smiled.

"I can just give you her number if you want," she offered, and he shook his head.

"Look, it was just on my feed," He said, and she laughed, resting a hand on his knee. His eyes were on it immediately, but she left it there anyway.

"Yeah, right, seriously, I can give you her number," she promised, leaning back on the couch and he looked at her. In a moment she felt it, she realized it and she understood she had the option to walk away at that point before it got serious.

"I don't want her number," he said.

"No?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"The girl I'm into is sitting right here," he said, and she let her hand drift further up his thigh, he leaned towards her. She moved into him and kissed him. She pushed herself into his lap, straddling him and he rested his hands on her hips as they made out.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and he nodded, kissing her neck. She tilted her chin up, giving him, room and he kissed down her chest, sucking on her collarbone.

"I'm more than sure," he promised, and she smiled, running her fingers through his ever-growing hair. He groaned and she sighed happily. It had been happening for weeks, both had done their best to ignore it but being with someone of the opposite sex for 24/7 got to her eventually. Honestly, he wasn't a bad person to give into, she just worried about what happened after. He wasn't the type to hook up and ditch, he was too good for that. His golden heart couldn't handle it.


	6. The Night Is Still Young

With her hand wrapped around his throat, she straddled him in his own bed and rolled her hips against his, he moaned. She hadn't been aware of how much he enjoyed being dominated but she was more than happy to do it for him. She was more than happy to keep him in line and make sure he received pleasure only after she received hers, something he was happy to give. He had done due diligence and proven how much he enjoyed eating out, now she was bringing him to the edge of his climax. She smiled as his blue eyes opened and focused on her.

"Fuck," he grunted and she grinned.

"You enjoying this, daddy?" she whispered and lowered herself, her lips inches from his. His eyes closed as she fucked him and he moaned again. "I'm more than happy to teach you a lesson, any time you need it," she vowed, whispering into his ear and he groaned at the feeling of her breath against his ear.

"Fuck," he muttered again and she smiled, pushing herself up with her hands on his chest.

\-------

She woke up the next morning to steady breathing that wasn't hers and she took a minute to assess where she was, it wasn't her bed. She rolled over and looked beside her, Chris was fast asleep. She sighed, pulling herself out of bed, gathering her clothes, and returning to her room. She didn't want to start anything and she was concerned that was exactly what she had done. She stepped in the shower and thought of a million ways to avoid a relationship while in quarantine.

She was in the kitchen, having coffee when she heard his footsteps on the stairs and she took a deep breath, readying herself.

"Morning," he said, grabbing a coffee.

"About last night," she started and he turned, facing her.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Like, it was just a one-time thing, right?" she inquired and he shrugged.

"It's whatever you want it to be," he answered and she studied him. "But if you're asking what I think you're asking, no, I don't expect a relationship," he said and she sighed relieved.

"Thank God, I was hoping you didn't think that," she said and he smiled.

"I'm not as desperate as you think," he assured and she laughed.

"I don't think you're desperate, just kinda soft," she replied and he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, that's better," he said and she smiled.

"So you'd be fine with just hooking up and no relationship?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I think so," he said and she smiled.

"Good because this doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon and I'm gonna get horny," she said and walked over to him, holding his gaze. "And you're going to be needing a lot more reprimanding, I'm sure," she said, squeezing his junk through his boxers and kissed his lips. She bit his lip as she pulled away and gave a firm pat to his cock before leaving the room, she felt it harden under her stern touch. She couldn't help but smile to herself, he was too easy.

\------

They hooked up that night again and she woke up to someone singing "Part of Your World", she groaned. She waited, he was almost to the end of the song but as soon as it ended, he launched into another Disney song.

"Shut up!" she yelled but he kept on. She heard the shower turn off, he came out of the bathroom in a towel and singing. "Dude, shut up!" she yelled again, covering her ears with the pillow.

"I thought my heart had learned its lesson, it feels so good when you start," he sang close to her ear and she smacked him with a pillow, he launched into the rest of the song.

"Oh my god, man!" she yelled, getting out of bed, grabbing her clothes, and going to her room, slamming the door shut. She dressed and headed downstairs, rolling her eyes as she continued to hear him singing. She made her coffee and sat at the table with her earphones. Suddenly a coffee pod was thrown at her and she looked, Chris was looking at her expectantly. "What?" she asked.

"You don't like my singing?" he asked and she rolled her eyes, putting her headphone back in.

"I'm going for a run," she said, getting up and going upstairs. She changed again and headed out for the run.

She returned a half-hour later and went directly upstairs to shower. As she was pulling her shirt on, a knock sounded and she turned.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You wanna play some COD?' he asked.

"Sure," she replied, opening the door and he gazed at her, wet hair loose.

"Or we could do something else," he offered and she smiled.

"Calm down, big boy, we got plenty of time for that," she said walking by him and he followed her down to the couch, setting the game up.


	7. You Can't Hurry Love

Ten o'clock that night and they were both singing their hearts out, slightly drunk, to an 80's playlist. She danced around the living room and jumped on the couch, enjoying the feeling. Duets would come and she would belt it out, instinctually taking the female lead. When the final song played, she collapsed on the couch and sighed, catching her breath.

"That was fun," She said, and he smiled at her from the overstuffed armchair, nodding.

"Tell me about it," He said, and she sighed. After a minute, she pulled herself off the couch and pushed herself into his lap, straddling him. He rested his hands on her hips and looked up at her, she leaned down to kiss him. He deepened the kiss and let his arms wrap around her. She bit at his bottom lip and he hissed. He stood with her still in his arms, her legs around his waist, and carried her upstairs into her room. He laid her back as they continued to make out and his fingers became greedy, demanding skin. She relinquished her shirt, her pants to him and then started tugging at his own clothing.

She woke the next morning to his heavy arm draped over her body and the music still blaring from downstairs. She sighed, her head only hurt a little, and dragged herself out of the bed, disappearing into the bathroom. She stepped in the shower and sighed happily as the warm water rushed over her, she slicked her hair back. She looked as she heard footsteps and saw him coming towards her, opening the glass shower door. He stepped in, closing it and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her, letting his lips run down her neck and she pulled him closer, enjoying the warmth.

As she was eating breakfast, nibbling on the bite of muffin she had broken off, she felt eyes on her again and she looked up, he was staring at her from across the table.

"Something you want to say?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"I don't know, this just seems to be going really well for a hookup," he said, and her eyes darted back to him.

"It is going well but that's what it is, a hookup," she said, and he nodded, looking back at his cereal. "I like you and all, but I do not like your career," she said, and he sighed.

"Yeah, I know, not a lot of girls do once they get to know it," he mumbled, and she smiled.

"Don't worry, there's someone out there for you," she vowed, and he smiled, nodding.

"I know, I know, I just seem to be getting older while I'm waiting for her," he said and took another piece of her muffin.

"Tends to happen to the best of us, I used to be 19 but suddenly I'm 28," she said, and he smiled. "Look, after we're done, let's play some COD and we'll make a bet," she said, and he raised his eyebrows.

"What kind of bet?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I don't know, loser gives oral," she offered, and a smile spread across his face.

"I like that bet, I'm down," he agreed, and she smiled, she knew he would.


	8. Walk Away

She wandered down the next morning, finding Chris in his gym, and sat watching him while she ate cereal dry out of a Ziploc bag.

"You enjoying this?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Not really," she replied, and he shook his head.

"You could join me," he offered, and she laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not big on working out," she replied.

"You jog," he reminded, and she nodded.

"That's more for mental issues," she said.

"Mental issues?" he asked.

"Yeah, helps me clear my mind," she answered, and he nodded.

"Ah," he said and returned his focus to working out. She got bored eventually and left, going back to her room to watch something. She was watching Trailer Park Boys for the sixth time when he knocked on her door and entered. "I'm going to take a shower," he said.

"That's great," she congratulated, and he sighed.

"Will you join me?" he asked, and she gazed at him, her eyes trailing down to his crotch where it was obvious, he had a hard-on.

"Jesus man, what is that?" she asked, and he pushed it down self-consciously.

"Will you join me or not?" he demanded, and she sighed, pausing the show. She tossed the remote on the bed and nodded. He led her into his bathroom, removing his sweaty clothes, and got into the shower, turning the water on. She waited for a few minutes and then did the same. He pushed her against the wall unceremoniously and shoved himself into her, he groaned. She stood there, closing her eyes as he fucked her, the wall was cold, but her ass was warm from the water that hit it as he rammed into her with his hand tightly around her neck. She squirmed a little, slightly uncomfortable and he growled, she squirmed again. He tightened his grip on her throat and pressed her harder into the wall, slamming his cock into her angrily. She closed her eyes, her fingers clinging to the stone, and moaned, enjoying the feeling of his body on hers. She knew as his breath hitched he was about to come, he would pull out like always to prevent pregnancy but she pushed against the wall, forcing him back. He stared with his hand on his aching cock as she knelt before him and looked up into his eyes, there was a fire quickly lit behind them. He pumped his cock and came on her breasts, groaning with his head thrown back. He inhaled deeply and looked down at her, she smiled at him. "Thank you," he said, and she nodded, standing to wash off his cum. Washing with his body wash, she stepped out after him and dried herself off as she wandered down the hall to her bedroom. She was back on her bed in her robe watching the show when he came in again. "Are you okay?" he asked, and she looked at him.

"Yeah?" she questioned, and he shrugged.

"I realized after I was a little rude," he said.

"Oh, no, it's fine, you needed to get off," she said, and he stood there awkwardly. "I'm just interested if that happens every time you work out," she said, and he smiled.

"No, no, I was looking at something," he muttered, and her eyes immediately lit up.

"What were you looking at?" she asked, pausing her show and he laughed nervously.

"It was nothing," he said, and she smiled.

"Obviously, it wasn't just nothing," she scolded, and he sighed.

"Dani," he admitted.

"Oh shit! I'm hooking you two up when this is all done," she decided.

"No, no, please, don't do that," he argued and she shook her head.

"No, I have to, it's not a matter of want anymore," she said and he looked at her.

"Please, don't," he said again but more firmly and she studied him as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Why not? Wouldn't it be better fucking the real thing instead of just using someone else?" she asked and he paused.

"That's not what I'm doing," he said.

"No? You watch her, she gets you hard and you fuck me, what are you doing then?" she asked standing with her arms crossed and he studied her.

"She was on the feed, I watched the video but I wasn't fucking you because of her, she made me think of you," he said and she stared at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"Wait," she started and he stared at her, impatiently waiting for her to catch on. "I thought I told you, this was just a hookup," she stated and he shrugged, shoving a hand in his jean's pocket.

"Yeah well, I can't control my feelings," he said with another shrug and she sighed. "You kinda tick all the boxes for Mrs. Right," he said and scratched his head nervously.

"I really don't want a relationship right now, I'm happy to hook you up with Dani but I'm not interested in anything," she said.

"All right, all right," he said.

"Are you mad?" she asked and he shook his head.

"No, I get it," he said then left and she stared after him. If she had known that he was beginning to want more than just a hookup, she would've pulled back immediately and not done it anymore. He was a nice guy and deserved nothing but nice things, she just wasn't interested in giving them to him. She didn't want his life, career, or attention. She liked being a nobody in a sea of people and if she dated him, her face would be out there at some point.


	9. Stone Cold

She got drunk that night but by herself. She was wondering how long this could possibly go on, what did you do when a situation got extremely awkward but you couldn't just walk away? You were living with that person? Getting drunk was the only thing she could think of.

Around 2 am, she was driving herself crazy with thoughts and got out of bed, going into his room. She quietly entered, lifting his comforter and climbing in beside him, cuddling up. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, she wondered if he knew she was actually there or if it just became part of his dream. She closed her eyes and let herself fall off to the sound of his heartbeat. She woke the next morning to an empty bed and sighed, rolling on her back. She wished she hadn't drunk that much and got out of bed, returning to her own room. She showered and brushed her teeth, trying to make herself presentable. She walked downstairs, still not finding him, and poured herself a bowl of cereal, sitting at the table. She heard his footsteps as she was halfway done her cereal and looked up as he entered.

"Oh, you're awake," he said and went to get himself water.

"Yeah," she said, feeling extremely awkward. She continued eating and tried to focus on her phone, he sat across from her.

"Hey," he began and she looked up, he looked as unsure as she did. "I really need this worked out," he said.

"What worked out?" she questioned.

"You know what, us," he said and motioned between them. "I thought you were just going to stay for a few days and then move into your own place. Suddenly we're locked down, we're hooking up every night and you're climbing into my bed in the middle of the night, what is this?" he asked and she sighed, shaking her head.

"If you were any other guy, I would be with you in a heartbeat," she stated and he closed his eyes, that hurt apparently. "It's not that you're a bad person or that I'm not attracted to you, it's your lifestyle man," she said and he nodded. "And your expectations,"

"I get my lifestyle isn't for everyone but what are my expectations?" he questioned and she shrugged.

"Come on, I mean it makes sense when you're surrounded with women of the caliber of Scarlett Johannson but at the same time, they're really hard to meet," she stated. "If you were just another kid from Sudbury, I'd be all over you," she said.

"But I'm not into Scarlett like that," he argued and she tilted her head, with a roll of her eyes. "Seriously, I'm not going to lie and say we didn't hook up once or twice but other than that, there was nothing there," he said. "We're way better friends than a relationship," he vowed.

"But at the same time you're a huge..."she trailed, trying to think of the word and sighed. "Perfectionist," she said, her eyes meeting his again.

"How?" he demanded, almost seeming offended and she laughed.

"Chris, the first couple of times I met you, you wouldn't stop telling me how beautiful my teeth were," she said. "Like you were really into my teeth and it was really fucking weird, you just kept saying how perfect they were," she said.

"Well I'm sorry, my dad's a dentist," he said with a frustrated shrug and she smiled, shaking her head.

"So is mine but you don't see me going around complimenting people on their teeth," she stated. "And you broke up with one of your girlfriends because she didn't like beer! You want the girl that fits your idea of perfect and that's really hard to keep up with," she said and he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Look, I told you all ready, you check all those boxes, so there's really nothing to keep up with," he said and she raised her eyebrows.

"Really? So if I just decided to grow a bush you'd be cool with that?" she asked, harkening back to a very drunk conversation about how he liked his women smooth and bare.

"But would you?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Probably not," she stated.

"Then why the hell are we having this arguement? It's easy to keep up with my expectations when you are meeting every single one of them just by being you, I think you're just looking for a way out," he said, leaning back.

"A way out? Why would I want a way out? I can't get a way out right now if I tried!" she exclaimed. "God, this was so stupid," she muttered, shaking her head. "We never should have hooked up, I should have known better," she said.

"You regret hooking up with me?" he asked and she shrugged.

"At this point I do," she said and he sighed, grabbing his water as he stood. "I mean, that's not to insult you," she said and he smiled.

"Thanks," he said and left the room. She groaned and dropped her head to the table, resting her forehead against the edge. Why couldn't he just have been like everyone? Not famous, not well known, and not wanted by thousands of women, it all would have been so simple.


	10. Set Fire To My Purpose

The house was big enough they could properly avoid each other, and they put it to good use. She stayed in her room, sneaking in and out when she was sure he was elsewhere in the house. She heard him up late at night playing video games with his friends online and she saturated herself in ever rom-com she could on the many streaming apps he had. She didn't drink again; she was too worried she'd do something stupid.

By the eighth day, they could almost forget the other one was there at all. She snuck down to the kitchen in the afternoon to grab herself something to eat, she opened the fridge and studied its content, it was clear he had just had a grocery delivery. She grabbed the hummus and a roll of crackers, heading back upstairs. She turned the corner and smacked into him, she stumbled back slightly.

"Sorry," he said, reaching out to steady her and she smiled, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it, my fault, I shouldn't wear my headphones walking around," she said, taking one earphone out and he smiled. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other and both trying to find the courage.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You said that," she replied, and he smiled, shaking his head.

"No, no, I mean I'm sorry for before," he said, and she shrugged.

"I'm the one that's sorry, what I said came out totally wrong," she admitted, and he laughed.

"It was a little harsh, but I figured it out later," he admitted, and she smiled. "I really don't want to keep ignoring each other," he said.

"Me either," she agreed. "I miss kicking your ass in Call of Duty," she said, and he laughed.

"Oh? Do you think you kick my ass? I'd like to put that to test," he challenged.

"Let's do it but I don't want to hear any whining after that I cheated," she warned and he laughed, following her back into the living room.

Two hours of Call of Duty and things were exactly back to how they were before everything. They shared the hummus, he made them lunch after, and they enjoyed each other’s company.

"I didn't mean it when I said I regretted hooking up with you," she said, and he looked up at her.

"No?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"I really enjoyed that," she stated, and he smiled.

"So, did I," he agreed. "Does this mean you want to keep doing that?" he asked.

"Why not? You and I are the only people in here, it's not like we have any other options," she said, and he scoffed.

"I don't know how you think that sounded but it didn't sound nice," he said, and she laughed.

"I know," she said, and he shook his head with a smile. She moved closer to him on the couch and kissed his neck, he leaned his head to the side to give her more room. She ran her hand down his chest, to his crotch, and laid it there. "Watching Dani again?" she whispered, and he smiled.

"I told you, it’s all you," he assured, and she smiled.

"Shut up before I change my mind," she murmured and he smiled, grabbing her. He pulled her into his lap, and she kissed him tenderly. The way they fucked was different from the times before, it was filled with tenderness and affection, not the hungry need of a horny person. His kisses were peppered gently over her skin, her fingers caressed his skin lovingly and as he paced inside her, they held each other’s gaze. Both realized quickly that they may have been falling in love with each other all along but hadn't wanted to admit it, knowing all that came with a relationship when one of you was in the limelight.

"I won't let them get you," he whispered, and she tickled the back of his neck.

"Who?" she asked.

"The press, the world," he said, and she smiled, pulling him down by the chain around his neck, down to kiss him. "You're mine and I won't share you," he murmured against her lips.

"You can't control that," she reminded, and he smiled.

"I'll do everything I can to," he answered and kissed her again. "I want you; I want you more than anyone or anything I've ever wanted," he continued, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her neck, sucked on her collarbone.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"Me too but that's how I know this is right," he replied, and she sighed happily as his lips ventured down her chest, landing between her breasts. "Just give it a chance, please," he begged and everything in her mind screamed no, told her she had no idea what she was getting into. But her body, her heart, and her soul, they wanted him.

"Yes," she said, and he quickly kissed her lips again as his pace quickened.

"Thank you," he said, and she smiled, her eyes closed as he hit all the right spots. "I'll never let you down," he vowed, and she could only smile.


	11. Avenge This

Chris was busy doing something for a charity, she had gone out for a jog and when she returned, he was done. He was watching the news and she rolled her eyes as she walked in, flopping on the couch.

"Why do you watch this depressive shit?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"I like to stay informed," he replied, and she sighed.

"I'm going to shower," she said and launched herself off the couch, heading upstairs. She finished and came downstairs.

"I was thinking we should go to storage and get more of your stuff," he said, eyeing her shirt and she looked at it.

"What's wrong with this?" she asked, and he shook his head with a smile.

"Nothing, nothing but I've seen it like ten times in the past week," He said, and she smiled.

"That's fine, there's stuff I want anyway," she agreed, and he smiled.

Around lunch, they got into his SUV and headed down to the storage facility. Chris unlocked the container and pulled open the door, she went inside. He followed and watched as she went through her stuff. She started handing him items and he took them until his arms were full.

"I'm going to put this in the car," he said, and she nodded, making a different pile. He came back and scooped up what she had put out, returning to the vehicle. He came back in and she was closing a box. "You good?" he asked, and she nodded.

"I think so," she agreed and followed him out, he shut the doors, locking them.

\------

He was lying in her bed that night, watching a movie and she had gone into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She came back out in a robe and he looked over at her.

"What are you planning?" he said with an excited smile, tossing the remote as he sat up and she grinned at him. She undid the tie and let the robe drop. He took in her bra and then his eyes floated down to her panties, he started laughing. "Does it seriously say that?" he asked and peered closer. "Avenge this pussy, I'll avenge it to my dying breath," he said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her on the bed, she laughed. They kissed passionately and she pushed him on his back.

"I've been thinking," she whispered in his ear and his hands grabbed her ass.

"Yeah?" he murmured.

"I want you to take me in the ass, it’s been so long since I've been fucked there," she pleaded, and he groaned.

"Gladly," he said, and she smiled, getting off him. She turns on her stomach, pulling herself up on her arms and knees, presenting her ass to him. He started laughing again and she smiled at him over her shoulder. "Christ woman, you're going to throw me off," he muttered, running his fingers over her ass and she grinned. She knew the back of her panties read "I Love You 3000". She had a whole box of Marvel themed underwear; she had been a comic book nerd forever. He pulled them down and spread her ass cheeks, lining up the head of his cock to her. "You ready?" he asked, and she nodded, wriggling her ass. He spit on his hand quickly, rubbing it into her asshole and on his cock before sliding it into her, she moaned loudly. "God, you like it don't you?" he asked, gripping her hips.

"Fuck yeah I do," she murmured and groaned again as he pushed inside her, he growled. His fingers were digging into her hips and she slammed back into his hips, he moaned loudly. "Fuck me," she moaned, and he growled again, slamming into her.

"I love when you beg for me," he said, and she smiled.

"Please?" she asked, and he groaned, picking up the pace. He cried out as he released and fell on top of her back, panting.

"Fuck," he muttered and fell backward into the pillows, she smiled. "Why haven't we done that until now?" he asked, and she shrugged as she got up to go to the bathroom.

"Got to keep you guessing," she said and closed the door, leaving him with a smile on the bed.


	12. Chapter 12

She stared out the back window with coffee in hand and then looked to Chris who was reading a magazine.

"You gonna cut that grass soon?" she asked and he looked up at her then followed her gaze, he sighed.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to," he replied. "This morning I will," he decided and she smiled.

An hour later he was riding his mower around the yard and she stood on the back deck, filming the scene.

"Even Captain Ameria has to mow his lawn right now," she said and stopped filming, posting it to her IG story.

He came in a half-hour later, she had made lemonade and he sat on the back deck with her, scrolling through his phone. She heard her story video and looked up, he sighed shaking his head.

"Can't even let me mow the damn lawn in peace, can you," he said with a wink and she smiled.

"My IG is completely private, only my friends see it," she assured and he smiled.

"So the friends I haven't even met yet," he said.

"Yup, they're gonna love you honestly," she said.

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

"First, you're Captain America, second, you're into sports, and third, you drink beer," she said and he laughed.

"Is that all it takes?" he asked.

"In New England, yeah," she agreed and he laughed, shaking his head.

"Well then I guess I'm glad I am who I am," he said.

"So am I," she mused and he looked up, smiling. He looked around the yard.

"It's really secluded back here, huh?" he asked and she looked at him confused then smiled.

"You dirty boy," she muttered and he smiled at her, leaning forward. He stroked her bare knee.

"Come on," he begged. "A quickie," he said.

"Stop," she said and he ran his hand up her thigh.

"I promise I'll be quick," he said.

"You're all sweaty," she argued and he smiled.

"So will you be," he stated and she rolled her eyes but kept the smile on his face. He stood and she followed, he grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her into him, kissing her and his hand gripped her ass. He turned her against the railing, pulling her silk shorts down along with her panties, she heard the clank of his belt as he undid it. His pants dropped around his ankles and he slid inside her, resting his hand on the railing. "Oh fuck," he muttered, she closed her eyes. She couldn't deny the allure of doing it outside and during the daytime. He reached around, squeezing her breast, and moaned as he fucked her. "Admit it, you like it," he whispered in her ear and she smiled. "You're my fucking little dirty girl, aren't you?" he said, kissing her ear and she moaned.

"Yes, sir," she said and he growled at the name, slamming into her again. He made it quick and pulled out before he came, releasing on her back.

"Now I have to shower," she said and he smiled.

"Funny, so do I," he said and she rolled her eyes. She took the hem of his white t-shirt and managed to wipe some of his cum off her back.

"There," she said and headed into the house, running up the stairs as she heard him coming after her.


	13. Chapter 13

She was bored, that was clear and she was getting fed up with being inside. Chris had tried to entertain her with video games, board games, and whatever else he had in his arsenal. None of it worked and she was sulking in her room, watching another nameless movie. She had gone through all her favorite movies, her want to see movies and now she was left with the bottom of the barrel movies. There was a knock on her door and she looked over at it for a moment, deciding whether or not to answer. With a huff, she called for him to come in and the door swung open, she stared openmouthed. Chris stood there with whipped cream around his genitalia and on his nipples, a smile on his face.

"What the hell are you doing," she murmured.

"Hopefully not embarrassing myself," he answered and she laughed, shutting the television off.

"Come here," she urged and he moved toward her, the whipped cream was starting to melt off him. She enveloped his covered nipple in her mouth, sucking it off, and moved to the next one. Then with a grin, as she held his gaze, she got off the bed pushing him backward, and knelt in front of him, he stared at her in anticipation. She licked at the whipped cream, it was like a melting ice cream cone that you had to clean off before it melted all over you and when she was satisfied, she wrapped her mouth around his cock. He groaned, his eyes closed and his head tilted back, a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.

"Fuck," he muttered and she smiled to herself, taking his entire length in her mouth. She slid it in and out, again and again, fondling his balls as he hummed in pleasure. Suddenly there was a harsh tug on her hair, he pulled her to her feet, tossing her on the bed on her stomach, and slapped her ass, tugging at the silky shorts she was wearing, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. He ran a finger beneath her thong, tugging at it and pushed it to the side. She felt the tip of his cock line up with her very wet pussy and he pushed inside, moaning at the warmth that surrounded him. He slid out and in slowly for a few moments.

"Harder daddy," she whispered and he growled, grabbing hold of her hair. He began slamming into her while he slapped her ass and she moaned loudly.

"Are you bored now, brat?" he asked and she smiled.

"Fuck no," she replied and nearly fell off her knees as he slammed into her hard. "This is how you keep me entertained," she whispered and he leaned over her, grabbing her chin. She turned her head toward him and he kissed her lips.

"Works both ways then," he growled and she grinned, closing her eyes as he slammed into her again. He pulled her up to her knees, her back against his chest, and his hand snaked down between her legs, rubbing her lovingly. She moaned, pushing her head back into his shoulder and he kissed her neck, sucking on it. "Fuck," he muttered as he had his way with her and he pushed her back to her hands on the bed, laying himself over her. "On the back or the tits," he growled.

"Wherever," she muttered and he slammed into her, pulling out quickly. He pumped his cock as his seed spurted all over the small of her back and she ferociously rubbed her clit, releasing at the same time. She fell on her stomach and he disappeared to get something to clean her off. "I hope isolation goes on forever," she murmured and he smiled at her as she rolled on her back, he cleaned himself off.

"I bet you do, that was pretty amazing," he commented and she laughed.

"Arrogant," she noted and he smiled.

"I'll have to get more whipped cream though," he murmured.

"Chocolate sauce, so many options, and I love them all," she said and he smiled. He leaned down over, pressing his lips to hers and she wrapped a hand in the back of his hair, keeping him on her lips. Pulling away, he kissed down her jaw and she turned her head, giving him room. He sucked on the other side of her neck and stood back up, looking at both marks.

"Had to even it out," he said and she laughed.


	14. Chapter 14

She was nestled into the couch, her iPad on her lap and a smile on her face, her headphones in. She barely noticed Chris enter with his coffee and took a headphone out after a minute when she saw his lips moving.

"What?" she asked and he smiled.

"What are you watching?" he questioned and she smiled, turning the iPad.

"Your boy giving his brother a hair cut," she announced and he peered at the screen.

"Tom?" he asked and she nodded, he moved to the couch to sit beside her. "Brave man letting him do that," he murmured and she unplugged her headphones, they watched the proceedings. He turned out to do a pretty decent job.

"You should ask him to cut Dodger's hair next time," she teased and he rolled his eyes, getting off the couch.

"It's growing in," he argued and she looked to the dog laying on the floor, listening to the conversation.

"In patches," she said and he sighed, smiling.

"I tried," he said and she laughed, going back to her iPad. "Hey, do you think I can use your earphones later?" he asked and she looked up at him.

"Why?" she questioned and he shrugged.

"I have a video thing I have to do and they look easier to deal with than wired ones,' he said and she smiled.

"What are these called?" she asked and he huffed with a roll of his eyes.

"Cmon," he argued and she smiled.

"Tell me what they're called and you can use them," she vowed and he growled, looking off into the distance while he racked his brain. "Come on old man, figure it out," she teased and he shot a nasty look her way.

"Airthings," he mumbled and she laughed.

"Airthings, that's a catchy and very marketable name," she agreed and he rolled his eyes again.

"Listen, I'm a busy guy, I don't have time to stay caught up on all this new-fangled technology," he said.

"New fangled technology," she sighed with a shake of her head. "I'm dating an old fart," she said.

"But yes you can use them, just let me know," she said and he nodded.

"Thank you," he said with an emphasis on sarcasm and she smiled.

"Course," she agreed and he eyed her for a moment. "What?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I just like that shirt on you," he said and she looked down to her plain white shirt that was tight around her bust, noticing her nipples were perky.

"Oh do you?" she asked with an amused smile and he nodded. "Couldn't be anything to do with my nipples poking out of it?" she asked and he smiled.

"Maybe," he said and she laughed.

"We better get out of quarantine soon or your dick is going to be sore," she said.

"My dick would never be sore," he said and she smiled. "Your pussy will be raw, that's all," he stated with a shrug of his shoulders and she pushed her iPad onto the couch as she stood.

"Oh really? You'll have to fuck me really, really hard then," she warned, wrapping an arm around his neck and he grinned at her.

"I think that can be arranged," he whispered, kissing her lips and she held him there for a moment.

"I think I should be punished for calling you an old man," she murmured and saw the light in his eyes rise.

"Oh yeah? You like to be punished?" he asked and she nodded with an eager smile on her face. "You're such a little slut," he said and she grinned at him.

"Only for you," she promised and he growled, putting his coffee down. He grabbed her around the waist, she lept up with her legs around his waist and he carried her quickly upstairs, stumbling into his bedroom. He fell with her over the bed and his hand grabbed at her tit, squeezing it angrily. She moaned in pain and pleasure, he sucked hard on her neck. "Fuck me until I can't walk," she begged and he growled again, his hand sliding down between her legs. He pulled her shorts down with a struggle and some help from her, his fingers pushed past her lace panties. He stroked her lips and groaned into her neck.

"You're so fucking wet," he whined and she clung to him.

"You make me wet," she whispered and he moaned, his fingers patiently stroking her cunt. She whimpered as he pushed her away from him, sliding down between her legs and she raised her head, gazing at the scene. His face buried between her legs, his tongue exploring her cunt, and the pleasure that sparked throughout her body. "Oh my god, Chris," she whispered, clinging tightly to his quickly growing hair and he hummed against her lips making her wriggle in need. "Fuck," she grunted and he continued with his tongue, drawing circles around her clit. He patiently and hungrily continued until the pleasure rippled through her body in waves, her hips bucked up. He pulled back and unbuckled his jeans as she tried to catch her breath.

"My turn," he said and she looked down just in time to see his cock disappearing into her cunt, she hissed in pain as well as pleasure. "Oh fuck," he groaned, falling to his hands over her and closing his eyes. She ran her fingernails over his chest, tracing over his biceps and he groaned again as he shoved inside her then out. "So fucking warm," he muttered and she smiled watching him. Seeing the pleasure she gave him was one of the highlights of quarantine. His eyes opened and his gaze turned on her. As he paced inside her, he stared into her eyes and grunted with every movement, she wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him closer to her. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he grunted, closing his eyes again and tilting his head back. She reached up and wrapped her hand around his neck, his eyes opened. She waited patiently, seeing his reaction and his eyes closed again. "Tighter," he growled and she smiled, squeezing her hand around his neck. "Oh fucking hell," he murmured as his pace quickened and she held onto his throat. "Fuck!" he shouted as he slammed inside her, releasing his seed and gasping for air as she released his neck. He looked at her and shook his head. "That was fucking intense," he murmured and pulled out of her, rolling on his back beside her. "Fuck," he muttered again and she smiled. Fuck was quickly becoming her new favorite word from his lips.


	15. I Don't Want Your Money

Her phone rang in the early morning, she was buried well within her comforter and sighed heavily.

She reached out and grabbed it from the bedside, laying it against her ear.

"Hello," she murmured.

"Did I wake you?" a familiar voice asked and she pulled her phone back, peering at the ID. It was Nancy, her real estate agent.

"No, sorry, yes but I'm awake," she said sitting up.

"Oh good, so I have a rental I think you'll like," she said.

"Really?" she asked impressed.

"I did, we can do a video tour of it tomorrow if you'd like," she offered.

"I'd love that!" she exclaimed, surprised her agent had been able to find anything.

"Fantastic, I will set it up for 10 am if that's all right with you?" she asked.

"Sounds great," she replied.

"See you then," she said and they hung up.

She wandered downstairs after a while and found Chris on his laptop, typing furiously. He looked up hearing her and smiled before looking back to his keyboard.

"Good morning," he said and she smiled, perusing the k-cup variations.

"Hey," she said and found one, popping it in the Keruig. "So my real estate agent called," she said and glanced over her shoulder at him, he looked up again.

"Really?" he asked and she nodded. "What did she want?" he asked and she took the cup after it brewed, getting her creamer out.

"She found me a potential rental," she said.

"Oh," he said and then went back to typing but was clearly distracted.

"Are you upset?" she asked and he shook his head.

"No, you came here to find a place, why would I be upset?" he asked shrugging his shoulders and she slid into the seat across the table from him.

"Well you seem mad," she argued and he sighed, looking up again.

"Am I disappointed? Yes," he said.

"Are you going to miss me?" she asked and he rolled his eyes.

"Obviously," he replied and she grinned. "But it doesn't change anything between us," he said and she smiled, gazing into his blue eyes. "Right?" he clarified and she nodded, sipping on her coffee.

"Why would it? As you long as you keep your promise," she murmured and he studied her for a moment.

"Promise?" he asked with a tinge of panic in his tone and she smiled.

"To protect me," she reminded.

"Oh, right, of course," he agreed while relief flooded his face. "I'll keep you safe," he promised and she smiled, standing up. She leaned down and he looked up at her, she pressed her lips against his.

"I'm yours until I can't be," she murmured.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"When your world takes over mine, then I'm out," she said.

"Why would it take over yours?" he asked confused and she shrugged as she walked away.

"Sometimes it does, you want me to go to events, show up at things with you and suddenly I can't go out in public," she said and stopped, turning to face him. "I can't deal with that," she stated.

"I mean, I can't control all the factions of my fame," he stated and she nodded.

"I know that," she agreed and then left the room, sitting on the couch to watch television. Minutes later he came in and sat with her.

"Maybe we should make some limits," he said and she looked at him then muted the television.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like, you don't come to events with me," he said and she smiled.

"You sure you're okay with that?" you asked and he nodded.

"It'll suck but it's for the better," he said. "And I won't talk about you in public," he offered.

"That sounds good," she said. "But what about when they ask you?" she asked and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll just play dumb I guess," he said and she smiled. "Other actors do it, why can't we?" he asked.

"If you think we can, I'll try," she said and he leaned in, kissing her.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Are you going to see the place?" he asked.

"We're doing a video tour at 10 tomorrow," she said unmuting the television.

"Do you want me to sit in?" he asked and she gave him a sharp look. "Oh right," he agreed, realizing he was already encroaching on their limits. "Sorry," he said and she smiled, kissing him again.

"It's fine, it's hard to be in a relationship and try to keep it private," she said and he nodded.

"As much as I've tried before, I've never really been able to keep it completely private," he explained. "There was always some essence of my fame that seeped in," he said.

"Well, you've dated mostly actress, haven't you?" she asked and he shrugged.

"For the most part," he agreed and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"We'll figure it out, if it's meant to be, it will be," she promised and he smiled. "Now let's get back to me kicking your ass in COD," she said, reaching out for the Playstation controller, switching the television over. He laughed and took the other controller. "The only thing I want from you, Chris, is your time," she said as the game booted up and he looked over at her. "I don't want your money, your fame, or anything else, just your time," she said and he smiled, nodding.

"I know that and it's why I appreciate you so much," he agreed and she smiled, looking back to the screen. She might not even like the place but at the same time, it was good for the future that they set these limits now before things got hectic when he went back to work.


	16. Chapter 16

She woke in his arms, asleep in his bed, and smiled to herself hearing his steady breathing. This was the main reason she hadn't wanted to move out, to lose that company and that warmth in her bed. She rose, gently removing his arms from her and he grunted in his sleep, stretching out for her but she was out the door. She stepped in her shower and dressed for the day, realizing it was a half-hour before the appointment. She had her breakfast and coffee, sitting down at the kitchen table.

At ten, her phone rang for a Facetime call and she answered it. The agent walked her through the place, it was nice with a yard even and the conversation was ended with the ball in her court, her decision to make. A half-hour after, Chris made his way into the kitchen and greeted her briefly as he prepared his coffee.

"I had the walkthrough," she said, and he looked up at her.

"Yeah?" he asked, and she nodded. "Did you like it?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"It was pretty nice," she said, and he smiled as he continued making his coffee.

"Good, I'm glad," he said, and she smiled herself. She stood up and walked behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "What?" he asked.

"You're upset," she said, and he shook his head.

"I'm not," he promised, and she kissed his back.

"You are," she pushed. "Admit it, you want me to stay here," she said and sat upon the counter, gazing at him.

"Of course, I do," he said, and she smiled.

"Why don't you just ask me then?" she questioned, and he looked at her. "Ask me to stay with you," she pushed, and he sighed.

"I would like it a lot if you would stay with me even when this lockdown is over," he stated staring at the counter, and she smiled.

"No," she said and laughed, he grabbed her by the waist pinning her against the counter.

"Are you serious," he demanded, his lips extraordinarily close to hers and she placed a hand against his bearded cheek with a smile on her face.

"No," she replied, and he stared into her eyes before pressing his lips against hers. He shoved her up onto the countertop and spread her legs, so he was nestled between them. She draped her arms over his shoulder and continued to smile at him.

"So, you'll stay?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Maybe," she mused, and he growled, nipping at the soft flesh of her neck.

"You'll stay," he demanded.

"I like when this side comes out," she complimented, running her fingers through his unkempt hair and he smiled at her.

"Oh yeah?" He asked and nipped at her collarbone. "I'm happy to demand more," he said, and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Don't get too cocky, I still am a stubborn bitch," she warned, and he smiled.

"I know, it's part of your charm," he murmured as he continued to kiss her neck and she hummed in pleasure, running her nails down his back. "I just want to be here with you even after lockdown," he whispered, and she smiled.

"Me too," she agreed and gasped as he tugged at her nipple through her shirt. He laid her back against the cold countertop and pulled at her bottoms, tugging them off. She moaned as his mouth found her wetness and began to pleasure her. She looked down as he continued with his gaze as focused as it could be on her and she bit her lip as she smiled. Seeing him down there, it did something to her and made a sort of dominance come out of hiding. She tugged at his blonde hair, then pushed him further into her pussy with his tongue and groaned, arching her back. "I am so glad you invited me to stay," she murmured, and he attempted a laugh, but the vibrations just made her moan louder. He brought her as close as possible without sending her over the edge and then pulled back, she looked at him desperately.

"Daddy has to get his too," he reminded, and she smirked at the name but let it go, she wanted him too much to ask questions. She watched as he unbuckled his jeans and they dropped to the ground with his boxer briefs. His cock was weeping at the tip, ready for her and he stroked it a few times, the look in his eyes was animalistic almost. He grabbed her by the hips and grabbed her off the counter, she wrapped her legs around his waist. With a quick adjustment, his cock was in her and he was fucking her as hard as he could. She moaned, begged, and lost any sense of dominance as he fucked her. She wanted him and all of him, she clung to him begging him for more in his ear. Her face nestled against his neck and listened to his panting as he fucked. Every grunt, every pant, and every moan she heard. "I want you to stay for a long time," he muttered and shoved inside her one more time before pulling out, she watched as he came in his hand.

"I'll stay as long as you want me," she promised and he nodded, trying to catch his breath with his cum in his hand. She took in the view; it was quite fantastic and then grabbed him paper towels which he took gratefully. "I'm going to shower, now I'm all sweaty," she said, wiping her sticky skin and he looked up at her.

"Me too," he said, and she smiled, taking off her shirt as she walked towards the stairs. He was quick to follow up and into the shower, crushing her against the wall as he kissed her tenderly. "It's me and you now," he murmured, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Me and you against the world," she agreed, and he smiled, kissing her again. She would stay until the end of lockdown and beyond, whatever he asked. He had her and he knew it.


	17. Chapter 17

The restrictions began to lift, people were out and about more than before. She enjoyed seeing people walking past the house and the news was a little lighter in spirits, she could deal watching it with Chris at times. She had told her realtor that she was going to stay where she was and the realtor wished her luck. Chris and she began discussing a vacation away from the house they had been locked in for so long.

"Where are you thinking?" she asked as they sat at breakfast with the morning light streaming in through the tilted blinds and he shrugged.

"I don't know, what are you thinking?" he asked eyeing her and she gazed into his blue eyes for a moment longer then her thoughts went, she loved his eyes.

"Hawaii?" she asked and he smiled.

"Their restrictions are stricter then ours, I don't think we can just show up there without quarantining for a couple of weeks," he said and she nodded.

"Is there really anywhere?" she asked and he gazed out the blinds in thought. "What about Thailand?" she questioned and he looked at her surprised.

"Thailand?" he asked and she nodded.

"I was watching a show last night where people buy homes around the world and Thailand was one of them, it looks so pretty," she said and he smiled, shaking his head.

"You can be random sometimes," he said. "Do you have a passport?" he asked.

"I do, went to Canada last year with some friends," she explained and he nodded.

"Let me see what I can do," he replied and she smiled brightly at him. "Don't get too excited, I'm not making any promises," he reminded and she nodded.

"I know, I know," she agreed.

Chris was holed up in his office for a good part of the morning, she left him alone assuming he was working on vacation and at lunchtime, she called up that she had had food delivered. He came down with his laptop under his arm and sat at the table beside her.

"So, this is what I've come up with," he said, opening the laptop and bringing up the screen. It was on a travel site and it was a large house set in a rush of trees with the ocean surrounding it. He flipped through pictures and she stared in amazement at each new picture. "You like it?" he asked and she nodded.

"This is gorgeous, isn't it expensive?" she asked, glancing at him and he smiled.

"A benefit of working long hours on sets is that you tend to make a bit of money," he reminded and she laughed.

"Obviously, sorry," she said.

"There's a chef for lunch and dinner, they'll pick us up and drop us off at the airport," he rattled off. "They'll shop before we get there for anything we request, there's a gym so we can keep up on our bodies," he said and she rolled her eyes, he smiled.

"This sounds amazing, Chris," she murmured and he nodded.

"I thought you might like it, we'll go next week?" he asked and she looked at him.

"Next week? That soon?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Why not? I'll get a private plane reserved and we'll be gone," he said and she stared at him.

"Something seems too good," she said and he smiled, kissing her.

"You're with me now, I told you, I'd take care of you," He reminded and she smiled.

"I'm a lucky girl," she stated and he smiled.

"Couldn't agree more," he said and she laughed, shoving him.


	18. Chapter 18

Dodger was coming with them, both of them were very attached to him and so they sat aboard the private jet, Dodger whimpering slightly. Chris told her he was pretty good overall flying but he still got a little weary on longer flights. He had rented a large jet aircraft for just the three of them and it was peaceful knowing there was no one else behind you or in front of her. The flight was seventeen hours long and she hadn't been on such a long flight before. He had told her what to pack and what would probably keep her entertained on the ride over. He had his laptop and his headphones plugged into it, zoning out on whatever he was working on. She was watching a movie she had seen a thousand times but it was one of her favorites.

She gazed out the window as the plane touched down, bumping along the runway and she admired the beauty of the location. They stepped off the plane, their bags brought to the waiting car where a smiling man welcomed both of them and introduced himself as their drive, that he would bring them directly to the home. They piled into the car, Dodge first, and then them afterward. They spoke with the driver, about why they were visiting and what they hoped to do. As she unpacked her suitcase, Chris had Dodger on a leash and was tipping the driver, giving him a friendly handshake. He took his bag out and followed her into the house, where a woman stood patiently waiting.

"Good afternoon, sir and madam," she welcomed and they both smiled at her.

"Chris," he said, putting out his hand and she shook it, smiling at him and looked to her. "This is my girlfriend, Kiania" he introduced and she nodded with a warm smile.

"Lovely to meet both of you, you must be tired, let me get you in and show you around then I will leave you to your leisure," she said as she unlocked the door and led them into the house. She showed them where the necessary features were, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, and all the amenities, then she was on her way.

"It's gorgeous, huh?" he asked looking at her as they stood on the threshold of the infinity pool and she smiled at him.

"More than gorgeous," she corrected and he smiled, pulling her close to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple as they stared out at the scenery.

"I'm just glad to spend the time with you," He said and she smiled, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I'm glad you took me," she replied and he laughed, pulling back as Dodger came out. He had inspected the house and flopped down at their feet.

"I'm going to feed him," Chris said, patting Dodger's head and she nodded as he went back into the house with his dog at his heels. She turned back to the scenery and tried to comprehend where she was, how everything had changed so quickly seemingly overnight.


	19. House of Cards

It was late in the night, the air was sticky with the humidity and though there was air conditioning throughout, they both wanted fresh air. They stepped out onto the back patio area, enjoying the sounds of the surrounding forest and hearing the waves not too far off from the beach. She felt fingers run down her spine and she looked over her shoulder, Chris was smiling.

"We're all alone," he whispered and kissed her shoulder, bare in a tank top. She smiled and looked back at the empty pool.

"Oh yeah?" she asked and he nodded, resting his hands on her hips.

"What say you and I make the most of this pool?" he questioned and kissed her shoulder once more. "Slip out of these clothes," he murmured, his finger pulling the hem of her top upwards and she smiled again. She pulled her shirt over her head and turned to face him, there was a sharp intake of breath as he took in her naked breasts before him. He reached out and caressed the perky nipples, she bit her lip in anticipation.

"Your turn," she urged and he grinned at her, stepping back to remove his shirt. She shoved her shorts and panties down around her ankles, kicking them off before diving into the pool. She sighed happily at the feeling of the water rinsing the sweat from her skin and looked to Chris as he unbuckled his pants, a confident smile on his face. The shorts he was wearing dropped around his ankles, he hooked his thumbs beneath the waistline of his navy boxer briefs and they joined the shorts on the floor. She took in his body before he dove in alongside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him, she relished in the warmth of his body against hers. It was not warmth like summer heat but electricity transferring between them. He kissed her lips tenderly, she wrapped her fingers in the hair on the back of his head and kissed him deeply, pulling him tightly to her. His hands ran over her round ass cheeks, cupping them and gripping them tightly.

"I want to fuck you," he whispered into her ear and she murmured in agreement, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. He hooked his hands beneath her thighs and she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He supported her as she slid down upon his erect cock and she heard him moan as he filled her completely. She clung to him, arms around him, and chin resting on his shoulder as he fucked her, he took over the majority of the work. His touch was tender as much as it was needy, his grip protective as much as carnal and she knew at that moment, he would give her every centimeter of his heart if she would let him. That this relationship was not something to tread into lightly, that his heart could be broken into a million different pieces if she wasn't careful and who he was was who he said, there was no falsity about him. He was a unique and rare individual, purity in a corrupt world. She pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders as he continued to pace inside her, panting and grunting with his eyes closed. She watched the pleasure rolling over his expression as he fucked her and she grabbed the hair on the sides of his head, tilting his head back. His blue eyes opened, gazing into hers and she leaned forward, kissing him passionately.

"I don't want to hurt you," she murmured, holding his gaze and he stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"Then don't," he said and closed his eyes again as he continued to pace, quicker now. "Just be mine," he murmured and she kissed him once more, continuing the kiss as they fucked. With a shuddered growl, he came and after a few more paces, he released his hold on her. She lowered herself to the pool's bottom, slicking her hair back, and swam backward, keeping her gaze on him.

"I'll take care of everything you could ever want and all I want in return is you," he said and she smiled, swimming around him.

"Christopher, you sound like you're in love," she teased and he smiled as he turned with her movements. He splashed water in her direction and she grinned at him.

"Maybe I am, would that be so bad?" he asked and she stood again, in front of him. She moved close, close enough that he could tuck her hair back without stretching and she rested her hands on his hips.

"Not if you really mean it," she said and he tipped her chin upwards, pressing his lips against hers.

"I do," he spoke softly and she smiled as he kissed her forehead.

"Then no, that could never be bad because I think I'm in love with you also," she said and he smiled, pulling her into his arms. They stood in the pool against the night sky with only torches lighting the back yard and enjoyed the comfort of the other's touch.


	20. Chapter 20

The alcohol had been flowing from five o'clock that afternoon with Chris prompting it by saying "It's five o'clock somewhere!" and as she tried to explain it was 5 o'clock there, he poured the first round of shots. They kept coming but slowed down as he got drunker. He was a loud drunk too, obnoxious but nevertheless sweet. He had hugged her at least fifty times and told her how much he loved her, that she made his life better. He declared that he would kill anyone that hurt her and that she was his. She sat there amused by him, she had stopped drinking after the first rounds of shots, dumping the subsequent ones in a planter nearby but was highly enjoying his drunkness. She jumped when he shouted loudly into the dark wilderness and sighed.

"I think you've had enough," she said, leaning forward and taking the bottle from the table, heading back to the house.

"You don't like me when I'm drunk babe?" he asked, hurrying up behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"I mean, it's not my favorite version of Chris," she said, placing her hands on his arms and he kissed her neck.

"No? Why? All I wanna do is love on you when I'm drunk," he whispered, nuzzling her neck and she smiled, feeling her shoulders drop. "You're so fucking beautiful," he murmured and she closed her eyes as he continued to kiss her neck. He sighed heavily and rested his chin on her shoulder.

She woke up as the rays of sun hit her eyes, she looked around and realized they had fallen asleep on the couch outdoors. She looked beside her and saw Chris fast asleep in an armchair, his feet up on the table. She smiled and rubbed her eyes, her head only slightly aching.

"Hey," she whispered, getting up and leaning down to him. She shook his shoulder and he muttered incoherently then groaned in the sunlight. "It's morning," she said and he blinked his eyes, closing them again. He shaded them with his hand and sighed.

"I can't see," he muttered and she smiled, grabbing his hand. She pulled him from his seat and he put his hands on her hips as she led him back into the house, setting him down on the living room couch. He sighed happily and laid on the overstuffed cushions.

"I'll get you some water," she offered and disappeared into the kitchen, pulling water from the fridge. She froze as she heard him throwing up whatever was in his system and she closed her eyes, wincing. She sighed heavily and returned to the living room with paper towels, a trash bag as well as a dustpan, hoping to scoop it up.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he murmured, rolling on his back and she handed him the water. "Leave it, leave it, I'll get it," he said and she laughed.

"I think you'll only make it worse, it's fine," she promised and opened the bag, starting to clean the mess. Finishing, she threw the dustpan into the bag, deciding she would buy them a new one, and went to fetch the spray, cleaning the floor. She brought the bag out to the trash can outdoors and went back in the living room, Chris was upright. "Better?" she asked and he nodded.

"A little," he agreed and shook his head. "You really aren't sick at all?" he asked and she grinned at him from across the room on the other couch. "You bitch," he said and she laughed.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You didn't drink the shots, did you!" he exclaimed and she shrugged. "Oh fuck you," he said and she laughed again.

"Sorry, you looked like you were drinking enough for the both of us, one of us had to stay sober," she said and he sighed.

"You're probably right," he agreed and rubbed his eyes. "God," he muttered and she walked over to the couch he was on, sitting down. She stroked his neck and kissed it.

"I can run you a bath," she started. "Run you a bath and wash you," she offered, he dropped his hand and looked over at her.

"Yeah?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, make you feel better," she said and he smiled.

"I'd like that," he agreed and she nodded getting up. She pulled him up with her and he followed her upstairs, sitting on the bed while she ran a bath in the sunken jacuzzi tub. When she was happy with both the temperature and depth, she began to undress him. "I'm getting the treatment," he said and she smiled, pulling his shirt off.

"I just want to take care of you," she said and he smiled, watching as she pulled down his sweat pants. She brought him into the bathroom and he sunk in the water, sighing happily. She undressed, he watched her with a smile on his face and she climbed in with him. She washed him gently, lovingly, and let the water run down his body as she rinsed him. She sat behind him and began to wash his hair, his head tipped back in her lap.

"I mean it," He said and she stopped, looking at him. She continued washing.

"Mean what?" she asked, she wanted to be completely sure of what he was referring to.

"When I say I love you," he said, his blue eyes opening and gazed into hers.

"I still think you're crazy," she said and he grinned.

"I am but that doesn't mean I can't love you," he said and she sighed.

"It's so fast, " she said.

"Is it? We've been holed up together for three straight months and not once have I got sick of you, not once have I wished to not be in quarantine with you," he said and she smiled. "Have you? Honestly?" he asked and she shook her head. "And that's how I know I love you," he said and she smiled down at him. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Well then I guess I love you," she said and he smiled. They had mentioned it the other night but neither had said it out loud, just talked about the possibility. Now it was out there and they both knew where the other stood.

"It's not going to be easy," he started and she looked back at him. "This relationship, you're not famous and I am, you're not used to what comes with it," He said and she smiled, beginning to rinse his hair.

"I have you to protect me," she said and he smiled. He reached up and pulled her down, pressing his lips against hers.

"You do," he agreed and she smiled, continuing to bathe him. She knew it wouldn't always be this easy, she knew she would have to deal with long term separations but at the same time, if it meant he'd always return to her bed, she could deal with it. At least she was pretty sure she could.


	21. Chapter 21

They had found a bar down the street, it seemed to only be haunted by locals and they both fit in quite well. He with his t-shirt, shorts and a backward cap. Her with her shorts, tank top, and flip flops. They weren't going there to be drunk but there were going there to change the scenery. For months they had been locked in a house with no one but each other and it was nice to interact with other people. They sat at the bar, he ordered a beer and she ordered some local drink.

"This is kind of nice," she said quietly to him and he leaned over to hear her.

"It is," he agreed with a smile. "I like that no one recognizes me," he said.

"So far," she warned and he smiled.

"So far," he agreed and drank from his beer.

Twenty minutes later and his cover was blown wide open.

"Cap!" someone shouted and he glanced over out of habit, her eyes followed. There was a group of guys at a table, their eyes fastened on him and the moment they all made eye contact, it was over. The guys got up and walked over, greeting him. She tried her best not to be seen with him, she didn't want to be in any background of pictures or recognized as being near him. She quickly disappeared to the bathroom and came out minutes later, hoping they were gone. As she made her way to the bar, she saw him seated alone and she breathed a sigh of relief. She slid back on her stool and he looked over at her.

"Where the hell did you go?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Didn't want to be in any photos," she said and he nodded.

"Oh," he said. "You ready to go?" he asked and she glanced at him, he seemed different.

"Sure," she said, taking one last long sip of her drink and waited as he left out the door. She waited a few moments and then followed after him.

They got back to the house and he tossed his hat to the side, she took her flip flops off.

"You all right?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good," he said, running a hand through his hair and she studied him, he wasn't all right.

"Seriously," she said and he sighed, falling into the white couch.

"I don't know, it's just weird how secretive this all is," he said and she sat next to him.

"You knew it was going to be," she said.

"I know, I know but at the same time I can't even go to the bar to have a drink with you and not have you disappear?" he asked and she shrugged. "Why can't you just be my friend? Why do you assume everyone is going to think you're my girlfriend?" he asked and she sighed.

"I don't know, Chris, this is really weird for me and I don't want to be anywhere near your career," she said and he nodded, stroking his bearded face.

"I get it," he said but she knew he didn't. "It's just that..." he trailed and then sighed, turning to hold her gaze. "Dating me includes dating my career," he said. "And I'm not saying you have to come out to every event, that you're going to be thrust into the limelight but you're going to be seen with me a few times, it doesn't mean that your whole life is going to change," he said and she gazed into his blue eyes.

"I'm just nervous that I won't be me anymore if I get involved with you," she said and he smiled.

"No but I'm not going to be me anymore if I get involved with you either," he said with a shake of his head. "When you get involved with someone, you change and hopefully for the better," he said. "But what if I can't go out in public anymore?" she asked and he smiled at her.

"I don't think you'll be that well known, it's not like we're the royal family or anything," he said and she smiled, sighing.

"You're right, as usual," she said and he kissed her forehead.

"Obviously," he stated and got up, leaving her on the couch.


	22. Coming Undone

His hand in hers was the only thing she could focus on, the way his warm but rough fingers tangled themselves in hers. He walked ahead but his hold on her hand told her he was aware of her at every moment. He had his ball cap on, sunglasses, and was attempting a low profile as much as he could. She kept up with him but took in the street market as well, the life it was filled with. They stopped here and there, Chris buying them food. They wandered through the bustling streets admiring wares and enjoying the local life. He pulled her into a small gated area where tables and chairs were put, they took a seat.

"This is nice," he commented, and she nodded, watching the passersby. "At least you're not running off to a bathroom," he teased, and she looked at him, making a face.

"You know why I did it," she chastised, and he nodded with a smile on his face. She felt his eyes on her as she ate and she looked up at him, smiling. "What?" she asked, he smiled as he chewed his food and shrugged.

"Just admiring my girlfriend," He said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well thank you," she murmured, and he nodded, looking back to the street. It was nice to be in public with him and not worry about people bothering them, they got a few glances but nothing more. This was the part of the relationship she didn't want to lose, that she wanted to have and hoped she could get it back in the States.

\------------

He laid in bed, his hands tucked behind his head and a smile on his face as she kissed down his chest, down his stomach. Her lips trailed down the small trail of hair that led to right above his belt and her fingers nimbly undid the belt, she smiled at him. She unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped them, pulling them apart. His bulge stood out in his boxer briefs and she rubbed it gently, he hummed happily. She smiled, pulling down both pants and underwear. His erection popped up and she let it hit her face. She looked up at him as she captured the head of his cock in her lips and his eyes lit up, he watched her intensely. She let his cock disappear into her mouth and let it hit the back of her throat, he groaned. His hand gently rested on the back of her head and guided her on then off, little moans leaving his throat. She knew he was getting close, she tickled and massaged his balls, he groaned. She looked up as he came down her throat, his eyes closed and his head tilted back in the pillows, he growled in pleasure. She pulled off with a pop and sat up, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Fuck," he muttered, and she smiled.

"You've got five minutes to recover and then I'm getting on top," she warned, wandering off the bathroom and he laughed.

"You're going to kill me, woman," he replied, and she grinned as she sat on the toilet.

"Not a bad way to go!" she shouted, and he laughed. She kept her promise and in five minutes, she pushed his phone out of his hand, climbing onto his lap. She rubbed her wet pussy over his cock and felt it harden automatically beneath her, she bit her lip as she smiled down at him.

"Fuck," he groaned again, and she smiled, he grasped her boobs first. Then his hands ran down her back and grabbed hold of her ass cheeks, squeezing them. He slapped them and she yelped in pleasure, sliding down on his cock.

"Oh god," she moaned, and he joined her ecstasy. She bounced on his cock, knowing how good the view was from his perspective with her tits bouncing and her squirming on top of his cock.

"Oh my god," he growled, his head tilting back again, and she leaned down, slowing the pace, sucking on his neck.

"Fuck me, daddy," she begged, whispering it into his ear and he was quick. He grabbed her by the hips and flipped her on her stomach, spreading her ass cheeks. He lined up his cock and slammed into her, she squirmed into the pillows as she moaned. He reached forward to grasp her hair and tugged on it, she whimpered in need.

"Is this how you like it?" he snarled, and she nodded.

"Yes," she moaned, and he slammed into her again, then again. His hips were bucking at such a rapid pace, his balls slapped against her and he cried out with one last shove inside her, she felt him cum.

"Shit," he muttered, reality set in and the realization that he hadn't put a condom on. "Shit, shit, shit," he grunted, pulling out of her and stepped back off the bed. "Are we good?" he asked, and she fell on her back, shaking her head.

"I have no idea," she muttered and got up, going in the bathroom. Chris fell on the edge of the bed trying to catch his breath and focus on the problem. "Do they have Plan B here?" she called out and he looked up, staring at the open doorway.

"I can find out," he offered, and she came out, he looked at her.

"Yeah, why don't we," she agreed, and he nodded.

Four hours later they found out no one knew, at least no one in their circle, and neither of them spoke the language fluently enough to ask locals.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked as they sat on the couch and she shrugged.

"Pray?" she asked, and he smiled, leaning his head on the back of the couch. "I don't know, I mean...it doesn't always happen," she offered, and Chris sighed.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed, and they sat in silence, staring at the ceiling.

"This is the time I wish I was on birth control," she muttered, and he looked at her.

"Why aren't you?" he asked, and she sighed.

"It's stupid but I don't like what's in it," she said, and he raised his eyebrows. "It fucks with your whole damn system, I don't like how unnatural it is," she said, and he nodded.

"I can appreciate that," he replied. "Though not right now," he said, and she smiled. "If you are pregnant," he started, and she groaned. "Wait, wait, wait," he said holding his hand up and she sighed. "If you are pregnant, I want you to know that I'm not going to be an asshole, I'll always take care of them," he said, and she smiled.

"That wasn't a doubt in my mind," she replied, and he smiled. "You're too nice of a guy, Chris," she said, and he smiled.

"Yeah, trust me, I know," he said, and she smiled.

They returned to New England three days later, not having had sex since then, and tried to ignore the issue for the moment. She wouldn't be able to find out that quickly and she wanted to find out at home first, before going into a doctor. Chris buried himself in script reading and phone calls. She busied herself with aping up her PS4 profile and COD player rank. They let the days pass, still not having sex but it was obvious to her that he was horny as hell. His eyes hardly left her ass, he would paw at it whenever she bent over in front of the fridge or anywhere else. When she walked around in a towel after a shower, she'd see him rubbing the crotch of his pants and she had to admit, it made her horny as well. One too many times she'd go in his office when he was on a video chat and flash him, he would smile, shaking his head as he kept his eyes on the screen.

By week two, he was out of the house at 8 am to buy a test and came back, throwing it on the bed.

"Wake up," he commanded, and she groaned. "Take the test," he demanded, and she sighed, grabbing the box on the bed. She got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, opening the test. She took both to be sure and sat on the toilet, her eyes closed as she waited. "Did you take it?" he asked, causing her to startle and she sighed nodding. "How long has it been?" he asked.

"I don't know," she murmured. "You're supposed to time it?" she asked and he frustratedly sighed, looking at them.

"Fuck," he grunted, and she looked up at him, her heart in her chest.

"What?" she asked standing and pushed against him, looking down. "Two lines are negative right?" she asked, and he grabbed the box, studying it.

"Two means we're now three," he muttered, and she looked at him, completely confused.

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked, wrenching the box from his hands and looked at it. "No, no, no," she whispered. "I'm too young!" she yelped, and he gritted his teeth, staring at the tests. "Chris! Say something!" she yelled, and he looked at her.

"I'm sorry," He said, and she rolled her eyes, walking out of the bathroom.

"That solved it," she said, and he sighed, sitting down on the toilet after closing it. He stared at the tests in his hand and shook his head, he was going to be a dad. Like this. This was not how he intended on starting parenthood, but this is how it was going to be. Unmarried, brand new relationship and with a girl that wasn't sure she even wanted to be with him.


	23. Normal Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend  
> You kiss my face and we're both drunk  
> Everyone thinks that they know us  
> But they know nothing about it.  
> -Taylor Swift-

She was sat on an armchair in his office, browsing through her Instagram as he did a video interview and she had let him use her Airpods again. His conversation was pretty fluent, back and forth about the current event, talking about future projects. She zoned out, his voice just background noise, and only looked up when the conversation lulled, assuming the interview was over. Her eyes met his but it was clear he wasn't done the interview, the interviewer had just caught him off guard.

"No, I wouldn't say it's like that," he began and looked back to the screen. "She's a great person, I value her friendship and we get along great, who better to have as an isolation buddy?" he asked with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders, there was another pause. "Yeah, I know but this is different," he said and she rolled her eyes, they weren't dropping the question. She could tell by the tension in his voice and the way his shoulders were rigid. He laughed and nodded but still looked uncomfortable. If the interviewer only knew that they were dating and now they were expecting a baby together. Fifteen minutes later, Chris let out a heavy sigh and shut the lid of his laptop, taking the Airpods out of his ear. "Damn," he said with a shake of his head and she looked at him. "You're becoming a real problem," he said with a smile.

"Well you made the problem worse," she replied and he smiled, nodding. She had him there. "Do you want some lunch?" she asked pulling up Grubhub's app and he nodded, leaning back in his chair. They ordered from a pizzeria, she got a sub and he got a burger. "I'm going to shower before they come," she said pulling herself out of her chair and Chris was quick to his feet, grabbing her wrist. She looked back at him and he leaned in, kissing her tenderly.

"You're not a problem, I didn't mean that," he said and she laughed quietly.

"I know that," she replied with a shake of her head and pulling her wrist from his grip. "You were always the problem!" she called over her shoulder as she left his office and went into her room.

\-------------

She was getting antsy, she wanted to go off on her own and was sick of being stuck day in day out with him. He noticed it quickly and they decided to go take a walk in a park nearby, Walden Pond. Dodger was more than happy to go along and they piled into his Jeep, heading out.

"I just want things to be normal," she sighed and he smiled, he understood that. He reached out, gripping her knee and running his hand up her thigh, squeezing it as well.

"I know, me too," he agreed. More than ever now he worried about the state of the world, he was bringing a life into it and the way it was going wasn't great. "I don't want to raise our baby in a world this torn apart," he said and she nodded.

"Still so weird," she muttered and he smiled.

"Tell me about it," he agreed. "The nice thing is no one but us knows right now," he said and she nodded. They had decided not to tell anyone in their family until she was further along until they were sure everything was going well. It killed him not to tell his mom, his sisters but he knew that it was what she wanted. The walk was what she needed, getting out into nature and enjoying some exercise He was nervous with her being pregnant, trying his best to keep a distance from everyone, and also doing his best to go unrecognized. They made it back to the Jeep after two hours, successful in both exercise and keeping their heads low. "You hungry?" he asked.

"Very," she agreed and he smiled. They stopped at a small restaurant, immediately he was recognized by the staff but they were polite, respectful. They ordered their food, waiting patiently for it to be made and then he thanked the staff, signing a few autographs as well as taking photos before they left.

"Not too bad," he remarked as they got in, Dodger wagging his tail and sniffing at the bag.

"No," she agreed.

"See? Dating me won't be that hard," he said and she smiled.

"At least the fame aspect, everything else is still to be seen," she said and he rolled his eyes, starting the car.

"I'm not a hard guy," he said and she laughed.

"I never said, I meant that you're annoying," she stated.

"What! How am I anymore annoying than you?" he demanded as he pulled out of the parking spot and she laughed.

"Between your desperate love of Disney to your snoring," she said shaking her head and he smiled.

"Well I'm not going to apologize for the Disney thing but the snoring, I do apologize for," he said and she smiled. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, he smiled. "What was that for?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Just being you, annoying sweet," she said and he smiled.

"Well thank you," he said. "I think," he finished and she smiled, taking his hand. "We're going to be okay," he said and she looked at him. "You know that right?" he asked and she smiled, nodding. "If this doesn't work out between us, I'm never going to hate you or stop taking care of you," he promised, kissing her hand and she smiled. "This may not have happened the way I wanted it to but at the same time, it's happened and I couldn't be more excited," he said and she smiled, tears showed up in the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you, Chris," she said quietly and he nodded, the rest of the car ride was quiet as they were lost in their thoughts. She was six years younger than him about to become a mother with a guy she never imagined even being in a romantic relationship with and he was nearing 40, finally becoming a dad with a girl from his hometown that had always been a friend but nothing more than that.


	24. Chapter 24

They made the adventures a daily event, going out late morning and not coming back until after dinner time. He took care of everything even when she insisted that she buy and told her it was his job now to take care of her. As they were waiting on a meal, he disappeared to the bathroom and she stood there browsing through her phone. The door opened and a tall man entered about Chris' age along with another shorter man who looked the same age. She looked back to her phone and waited patiently, half-listening to what they were ordering.

"Hey," a voice came and she looked up, it was the tall guy. "You live around here?" was his opening line and she studied him for a moment.

"Why," she demanded dryly and he shrugged.

"Wondering if you're lonely with all this isolation," he said and she stared at him, absolutely disgusted by him all ready.

"I'm good," she said and tried to step back, getting away from him.

"Well if you are, I've got a big house that's pretty empty," he remarked and she rolled her eyes, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She felt a warm arm wrap around her waist and she glanced over her shoulder, Chris. They called out their number, he grabbed the order thanking the staff, and guided her out of the restaurant with a hand on her hip.

"You okay?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, just another dick," she said and got in the car, he closed her door. She saw him staring into the restaurant and the other guy staring out, Chris got in the driver's seat.

"Sorry about that," he said and she smiled.

"You don't need to apologize, nothing happened, he was just being a little too friendly," she said as they drove off and he nodded. "I'm sure if I was showing he wouldn't have approached me," she said and Chris smiled.

"So our child will be used as a deterrent for horny men," he said and she laughed.

"If it works, it works," she said with a shrug and he grinned. He reached over and placed his hand on her flat stomach, she looked down at it.

"I'm excited," he said and she smiled, placing her own hand on his.

"So am I," she agreed and his hand took hers, kissing her fingers. As he unlocked the front door, she moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he stopped turning the key. "I need you," she whispered, running her hand over his crotch and felt him hardening.

"Yeah?" he asked. It had been weeks since they had sex and she had enough.

"Yeah," she murmured and he smiled, opening the door.

"Then dinner can wait," he said, putting the food in the fridge and leading her upstairs. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately as he backed her to the bed and she laid back, wrapping her fingers into his blonde hair. "It's been too long," he murmured, his hand running down her leg and she smiled, wrapping it around his waist.

"Way too long," she whispered and his lips ran down her neck, down her chest.

He had her on all fours and was fucking the ever-living shit out of her, sweat poured down both their bodies. His fingers gripped her hips so brutally that she was sure there would be bruises and every time she wiggled her ass against him he groaned in pleasure. After release, he fell on his back and she fell on her stomach, looking at him.

"At least we don't have to worry about protection anymore," he said and she smiled.

"There's that," she agreed and he smiled.

"Was I too rough?" he asked and she shook her head.

"It was perfect," she murmured, closing her eyes and felt his fingers running down her back, she sighed happily. She rolled on her back and felt his hand press against her stomach, she smiled halfawake as she fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

His birthday rolled around, things had started to change and reopen, albeit slowly. She planned a family get together, letting everyone know they didn't have to come if they did not feel comfortable but were welcome to come if they wished. She had sent him out to a restaurant that was a half-hour away to get the food that she claimed she needed, that she was craving and Chris being Chris did it for her. Scott came over and they began to work on decorating the house.

"He's back!" Scott yelled from the front of the house as she hung birthday garland and she hurried, stepping off the chair. "He would kill me if he knew I let you get up on that," Scott said as he came in seeing her climb down and she smiled, putting the chair back at the table.

"It's a good thing he didn't then," she replied and headed to the front door, seeing his shadow pass the front window. The door opened slowly, he was focused on reading what was hanging on the door, and then his eyes met her confused.

"What is this?" he asked and she smiled.

"Happy Birthday," she said and he laughed, shaking his head.

"I told you, you didn't have to do anything, I would've been fine with just a cake maybe," he said with a shrug and produced the bag of food. "Here you go," he said and she took it from him, entering the kitchen. "You really decorated the whole house?" he asked looking around as he followed her and she nodded.

"Course," she said and glanced at the time. People would start arriving soon and all Scott had left to do was decorate the porch quickly.

"Is my brother here? I saw his car," he murmured, pointing to the driveway and she nodded.

"Where is he?" he asked, starting to wander out of the kitchen.

"Taste this!" She exclaimed, pulling out a fork from the drawer and Chris looked back at her, then returned to the counter. She scooped some of the Chinese food from the container and held it out, he opened his mouth. She pushed the fork in and he chewed it, looking thoughtful.

"It's good," he said with an approving smile and she nodded.

"Have more," she offered and put more in his mouth before he could argue, she needed to keep him as distracted as possible. Sex was her last resort. After a few more forced fork fulls, he pushed her away gently with a smile on his face.

"I got this for you but you're feeding me all of it," He said and she smiled.

"It's just that good," she said and ate more of it. As she chewed, the doorbell rang and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who the hell is that?" Chris asked as he wandered to the front door and she skirted out of the kitchen to the back porch. Scott was struggling to tie the decorations on the porch and she grabbed some from him, working on it as well.

"How did you keep him busy?" Scott asked, eyeing her low cut shirt and she rolled her eyes.

"Shoving his face full of food," she said and Scott laughed.

"Not what I would've thought but it works," he said and she smiled. She heard the voices in the front hall, his parents, and then more voices, his sisters. "Sounds like everyone is arriving," Scott said, tying off the last one and they walked into the house. Scott greeted his family and they were quickly reacquainted with Kiania, they had met her briefly before.

"Why are you all here?" Chris asked and Kiania looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Your birthday, dork," she said and his eyebrows raised in realization.

"Oh!" he exclaimed and his family began to tease him.

A half-hour into the party, a few more people had shown up and she was on the back porch, drinking water as she talked to Scott. She felt warm arms wrap around her growing waist and she looked back, Chris.

"You're a fucking sneak," he said and she laughed.

"Well it wasn't right that you weren't able to celebrate your birthday," she said and he smiled, shaking his head. He stood beside her with a beer in hand and the other hand in his pocket.

"Did you know?" he asked Scott and Scott smiled, shrugging.

"I know nothing," he swore and Chris shook his head with a smile.

"You two are trouble together," he muttered and Kiania flashed a grin at Scott. "It makes me wonder how much you know," he said and Scott raised his eyebrows.

"About this? I think it's become a little obvious," he argued and Kiania shot a look to Chris who quieted, drinking a beer. "Wait, what else is going on?" he asked with a smile on his face and she sighed.

"We should just tell him," she said, looking at Chris and Chris quickly looked back at her, studying her expression.

"Really?" he asked astonished and she shrugged.

"He's going to figure it out soon enough," she admitted and Chris shrugged.

"All right," He said and looked back to his brother. "We're-" he began.

"Dating," Kiania interjected and Scott's eyebrows raised high.

"Well duh!" he yelled and Kiania laughed, pulling Chris closer to her. She had caught him before he announced the pregnancy and she was thankful for it. "I knew you assholes were getting far too comfortable with each other!" he exclaimed and she laughed.

"Yeah, for about a month or two," She said and Scott laughed. He started calling over to their sisters and told them the news, more yelling. Kiania thought to herself, with a smile, if only they knew the truth of it all, there would be a lot more screaming.

<<<<>>>>>

Later in the night, everyone had gone home and Kiania was coming out of the bathroom after showering. She had moved into Chris' room and he was lying in bed, hands tucked beneath his head.

"I'm really glad you said something before I opened my mouth," he said and she smiled.

"Right? Almost blew the whole thing," she said with a shake of her head as she the towel off her head and he smiled.

"When do we tell people?" he asked and she sighed, shrugging.

"In another month I guess," she said and he nodded. "I've been enjoying having this secret though," she said and walked over to the bed. "Just between the two of us," she said and leaned down, kissing him. His hands reached out to pull her on top but she pulled away. "No, it's your birthday, I still haven't given you all your presents," she said and stood back up, he watched as she dropped the towel.

"Shit, you're starting to show," he whispered and she looked down. She had noticed it but thought maybe she was just overanalyzing her body. She cupped her stomach and smiled.

"I am, aren't I?" she asked. "Our little beast in here," she said and he reached out, resting a hand on her stomach.

"Our little beast," he repeated and she smiled. She went to the end of the bed and pulled the blanket off him, crawling between his legs. He closed his eyes and settled in as she gave him the best blow job she had ever given.

<<<<>>>>>>

It was another three weeks before Kiania gave Chris the go-ahead to tell his family, he invited them over for dinner and they enjoyed the meal, something Kiania had made.

"I have to say, I am so glad you're dating Chris," his sister commented and Kiania smiled.

"Oh yeah?" she asked and she nodded.

"I've never had a meal this good in this house that wasn't take out," She said and Kiania laughed.

"He can cook, he's got better," she assured, resting a hand on Chris' arm and his sister smiled at him.

"I'm going to get the wine," Chris announced and left the table, returning with the rather expensive wine he had picked out earlier that day. He poured a glass for everyone and stood in front of the table with his glass raised in the air. "So I know we told everyone that we've been dating for a few months but there's something else," Chris said and there was an audible gasp from a few of the women at the table.

"Are you guys engaged already?" Scott demanded and Chris smiled at him.

"Not quite," he said.

"Well it can't be that you're moving in together, you've done that first," his sister stated and Chris nodded.

"That's true." he agreed.

"The only other thing I can think of is that you're expecting but we all know you would have to be married before that happens as you've always said, marriage first and then the family," his mom spoke up and Chris looked at her, Kiania gazed up at Chris. "Chris always had this planned out, he would meet the women of his dreams, date her for a year and then give the most perfect proposal," she told. "Then they would get married in this elaborate wedding," she continued. "And then in a year's time have a baby," she said and Kiania smiled at her, looking back at Chris. The struggle was obvious to Kiania, she knew what the next words out of his mouth were going to be and she enjoyed watching him try to figure out how to say it.

"Well, this entire relationship has been backward so we figured why start now doing it the right way?" she asked with a shrug and all eyes were on her, they quickly went to Chris.

"Say it," Scott demanded and Chris laughed, nervously.

"Kiania and I are expecting a baby," he said at last and the sound that filled the room was one that caused Kiania to cover her ears. It was loud yelling of excitement and happiness. She stood before anyone could topple her and they hugged her profusely, hugging Chris as well.

"How long have you known!" his mom demanded.

"A few months," Chris said and his mom smacked his shoulder, he smiled.

"I cannot believe you managed to keep this away from me!" she exclaimed and he smiled.

"Well it was difficult," he agreed and she laughed, shaking her head. She pulled Kiania in for another hug.

"I am so happy for you two," she said warmly and Kiania smiled at her. "You're not even showing!" she said and Kiania pulled at the back of her dress, bringing it tighter around her abdomen. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed seeing the bump and she placed her hands on it then whipped them off it. "I'm sorry! I should have asked!" she exclaimed and Kiania laughed, putting her hands back on her stomach.

"Don't worry about it, you're grandma," she promised and his mom smiled, staring at the bump.

"I never thought this day would come," she said and looked to Chris who rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

"Ma," he said and she smiled.

"You know I love you," she said and kissed his cheek. "I just thought you weren't going to find anyone, you're so picky," she said and he smiled.

"Thanks, Ma," he said and she patted his cheek, looking back at Kiania.

"Good luck with him," she said and Kiania laughed.

She was lying in bed, her head resting on Chris' bare chest and his arm wrapped around her.

"How far this all came," he muttered and she smiled.

"What do you mean? Because we were just roommates for a couple of weeks while I found something else?" she asked and he laughed.

"Can you believe that? Now look where we are," he said and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm surprised we ended up together," she said and he laughed.

"Honestly? Me too," he said. "I thought I'd marry an actress because I figured they would be the only one to understand my career but clearly I was wrong," he said.

"Marry, whoa buddy, we're not there yet," she said and he kissed the top of her head.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," he said and stroked her back, she closed her eyes. She was pregnant, that was plenty for her right now.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the next night, Kiania was in the kitchen making him a Brazilian dish and listening to music when he came in. He had been outside mowing the lawn and she glanced over at him, watching as he removed his t-shirt. She stared at his sweaty chest, his firm abs, and sighed quietly to herself. If she had to get impregnated by someone, she couldn't complain it was him and she looked back to the boiling pot of water. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and he kissed her neck.

"It smells amazing," he said, and she smiled.

"I hope it tastes as much as it smells," she replied, and he kissed her again.

"I'm sure it will, you cooked it," he said, and she smiled. He put his hands on her hips, swaying them back and forth, she smiled. He turned her to face him and she wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the sweat. They began to dance in the kitchen, and he pressed his lips against her lovingly. "I think I'm falling more in love with you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers and she smiled.

"Are you?" she asked, and he nodded.

"And I'm worried about it," he murmured.

"Why?" she asked, pulling back and holding his blue-eyed gaze.

"Because I don't think you feel the same way," he said, and she sighed, looking in the other direction. "And that's gonna break my heart, babe," he said, and she nodded, feeling tears perking the corner of her eyes. She wanted to tell him she felt the same, but she wasn't sure she was. He was a good guy, beyond good looking but she wasn't sure how deeply she cared for him. She had just wanted to stay with him for a few days and that was it. Now she was in a serious relationship with him and expecting his child.

"I... don’t know," she said and looked up at him, he nodded but the look of disappointment on his face was horrible. "I love you but..." she murmured, and he smiled, he dropped his hands from her hips.

"I get it," he replied. 'I'm going to shower," he said and grabbed his shirt from the chair, disappearing from the room. She stared after him and looked back to the stove as the water boiled over, she grabbed the spoon, turning down the heat. She knew he wanted her to say she was falling in love with him and she knew he wanted the whole fairy tale. She just wasn't sure he was her prince yet.

She was putting the food out on the table when he came back down, and she looked up at him. He had his shirt slung over his shoulder and sweats. He pulled his seat out and sat down, she took her own seat.

"Thank you," he said as he filled his plate and she nodded, filling her own.

"Course," she agreed, and they ate in silence.

"This is good," he remarked ten minutes into the dinner, and she smiled.

"Thanks," she replied, and they continued to eat in silence. Finishing, he stood up wiping his mouth and put his plate in the sink after rinsing it.

"I have some work to do, I'll be in my office," he said and left the room again, she sighed. She finished her food, cleared her place, and put the dishes in the dishwasher, starting it. She made her way upstairs and heard him typing on his laptop, she knocked on the door."Yeah," he called, and she opened the door, lingering in the doorway.

"It's not fair," she said, and he looked up.

"What's not fair?" he asked.

"It's not fair of you to expect me to have the same feelings as you," she said and closed the door, he sighed leaning back in his seat.

"I don't," he said, and she sat down in the armchair across from him.

"No? When I couldn't say I was in love with you, you shut down," she replied and he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"This is a struggle for me, okay? You're pregnant with my child and that was supposed to be my wife, you're not my wife," he argued, and she smiled.

"I know," she replied. "But I care about you," she said, and he nodded.

"Not the same as love though, is it? Care about you is a friend thing," he said, and she smiled.

"Chris, I've told you I love you," she reminded.

"Yeah, again friends love friends," he fought, and she sighed.

"Look, it's not fair of you to tell me that you're in love with me and then get upset when I don't say it back, I'm not there yet, I'm not saying I never will be but right now I can't be," she aid and he nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Let's just focus on this little life we've created, that's the only thing that matters," she said, resting her hands on her stomach and he gazed at it.

"That's fine," he agreed, and she studied him for a few minutes then left him in his office, closing the door behind her. She couldn't say anything else to him, she had made her point clear and that was the end of it. She had made known she loved him and that was as much as she needed to say.


	27. Chapter 27

Chris had told her that her old guest room was off-limits, that she wasn't allowed in there and though she was confused, she agreed. She spent her time instead of in the back yard as the months got warmer, playing with Dodger and reading baby books. Deliveries would show up at the door and Chris would hussle them upstairs to the room, he even ordered a set of tools to do whatever the hell he was doing. She got curious but she talked herself out of peeking every time. She knew how much it meant to him, whatever the hell he was doing, and did her best to respect what he wanted.

He would crash into bed exhausted and fall asleep soon after, snoring up a storm.

By the second week, he came downstairs, and on the back porch, she glanced up from her book.

"Everything okay?" she asked and he smiled, producing a bandana from behind his back. "What is this?" she asked as he tied it over her eyes, his hand took hold of hers and she got up from the seat with help. He gently guided her through the house, up the stairs, and set her in a certain spot.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I think so?" she said and he untied the bandana. She stared at what was her old room that had now been converted into a nursery, cloud, and soft neutral colors. A crib set up against the wall and the changing table on the other side. She stared at it and then looked at him, he was studying her expression.

"Good?" he asked.

"It's beautiful," she murmured and sat down in the chair, putting her feet up on the footstool. "You did this all by yourself?" she asked and he nodded.

"With some lifeline phone calls and YouTube videos," he admitted and she smiled. "But you really like it?" he asked.

"I really do," she replied and he smiled, satisfied. "Thank you," she said, getting up and wrapping her arm around his neck, kissing him. "Thank you," she said again and he returned the kiss.

"Of course," he replied and she turned, looking at it again. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I think our baby will be comfortable," he said and she smiled.

"Absolutely," she agreed and they stared at the nursery, imagining the little life that would soon be inhabiting the room.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Chris' sisters and his mom set up the baby shower along with her mom and sister. They came from two different worlds, Chris' family had always had some sort of money but hers didn't, still didn't. They did their best to contribute and Chris' mom did her best to not make them feel like they were getting their noses rubbed in this fact. They had the baby shower at Chris' house, decorating it in blue and pink as neither wanted to know what the sex of the baby was.

She was stood with a plate of cake and talking to Chris' sister as well as hers when she felt eyes on her. She looked across the room and saw Chris standing there with his brother in law's, a beer in hand. His eyes were on her and a smile on his face, she returned the smile.

"He wants to marry you," his sister said and she looked at her, surprised.

"I'm sorry?" she asked and she smiled.

"I can tell the way he looks at you, he's had serious girlfriends before but no one like you," she said shaking her head.

"Is that good?" she asked.

"It is," she promised and Kiania smiled at her but looked back to Chris, he had looked away from her. His sister wandered off and her sister leaned in.

"He's not a bad catch, Ki," she whispered and Kiania nodded. "Rich, handsome and sweet? I'd say you hit the jackpot," she murmured and Kiania laughed.

"I know but I just don't feel it," she said and her sister sighed.

"You and your damn feelings, always have to feel it to trust it," she muttered and Kiania smiled.

"Sorry," she apologized with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Maybe when you see him holding your firstborn, you'll feel it," she offered and Kiania looked at her.

"Do you think?" she asked.

"That's when I knew I felt anything for Kyle," she said and Kiania studied her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's a whole new ball field," she said. "I'm going to grab more to drink, you want anything?" she asked and Kiania shook her head, her sister walked to the drinks. Kiania looked back over at Chris and admired him quietly for a moment. Her sister was right, he was tall, handsome, fit, and sweet as hell, she really had hit the jackpot without even trying.

"You've made my son very happy," his mom said and Kiania looked over at her, she quickly smiled.

"Well he makes me happy," she replied and his mom nodded. "I hope you're not mad at me for not marrying him," she said and his mother looked over at her, seemingly confused.

"Mad? Of course, I'm not mad, this is your life, not mine," she said. "I've always told him that, he lives his life how he will but I will love him no matter, I just want him to be happy whatever that means," she assured. "And now the same goes for you, you're part of our family if you marry him or not," she promised and Kiania smiled at her. "Your family is lovely by the way, your mother is such a sweet woman," she complimented and Kiania smiled.

"She is, for all she's been through she's amazing," she said, eyeing her mother, the shortest woman in the room but the woman that radiated the most love. "I don't know what I would do without her," she said.

"That's lovely to hear," she replied. "I hope my son is smart and doesn't screw anything up between you," she said and Kiania laughed.

"I don't think he will, you've raised him incredibly well," she commented and she smiled.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

After the baby shower, his family and hers stuck around to help clean up then were off on their way home. Chris and Kiania sank into the couch with Dodger flopping on the ground.

"What a day," he said and she nodded.

"Tell me about," she agreed and they sat silently. She reached over and took Chris's hand, placing it on her stomach. He looked at her then the baby kicked and his expression of surprise was adorable.

"Oh my god," he whispered and she smiled, waiting, the baby kicked again. "That's crazy," he said and she laughed.

"I know, I deal with this all the time, any time I get comfortable they're kicking up a storm," she said and he grinned. They spent the next ten minutes, Chris's hand on her stomach and her waiting patiently for each kick.

"Thank you," he said and she looked up at him.

"For what?" she asked.

"For carrying my child, for dealing with the backaches, the cravings, and the fatigue," he said and she laughed softly.

"Please, it's my enjoyment, feeling a little life grow inside me, and knowing half of me is in them," she said and Chris leaned over, kissing her tenderly. "And knowing the other half is you," she finished and he smiled. "Knowing that my child has one of the most caring and sweet dads in the world, it takes a load off my shoulders," she said and he smiled, kissing her again.

"And if you never want to marry me, that's fine with me," he said and she stared at him.

"Really?" she asked and he shrugged.

"What's marriage but a piece of paper? If we're happy and we know we love each other, what the hell else could I ask for?" he asked and she laughed, kissing him again.

"Exactly," she whispered. She nestled into his chest and he wrapped an arm around her, they sat quietly lost in their own thoughts.


	28. Chapter 28

She sat on the couch laughing uproariously as Chris danced and she clapped her hands in approval, he smiled at her when he stopped. He was slightly out of breath and a bit sweaty.

"That was fantastic," she congratulated, and he grinned at her. "I don't even know how we got that point but I'm so glad we did," she commented, and he laughed, falling into the couch beside her. She leaned over and kissed him.

"Did it cheer you up?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, yes I think it did," she agreed, and he smiled, shrugging.

"Then it was worth it," he said, and she smiled, holding his hand. He rested his head on the back of the couch and sighed. "I don't know why I'm out of breath," he said with a shake of his head.

"You're old," she said, and he looked at her pointedly, she smiled. His phone rang and he grabbed it from his pocket, looking at the ID.

"Oh, hang on," he said and got up, putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he asked, and she watched him. "Hey Sebastian, how's it going?" he asked as he walked away, and her ears perked up. She had a crush on the Winter Soldier and hoped it was him. Chris returned a few minutes later and she gazed at him.

"Sebastian?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Stan," he said, and she smiled, he looked at her. "What the hell are you smiling for?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"He's a good-looking guy," she said, and he snorted, shaking his head.

"Pregnant with my kid and trying to hit on another guy, typical," he said, and she slapped his back as he leaned forward, watching the television.

"Stop, if it's any comfort, I'm sure me being pregnant would turn him off," she said, and he looked back at her.

"And that's a comfort? That if you weren't pregnant, you'd try to get with him?" he asked, and she smiled.

"No, I wouldn't but a girl can look," she said. "You're telling me you've got no other girl as a crush?" she questioned, and he smiled. "Exactly," she pointed, and he smiled, looking away. "Who is it?" she asked, and he laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm not telling you," he said, and she began to tickle him, he wriggled. "Stop! I'm not telling you!" he exclaimed, and she laughed.

"Fine," she said. "But if I find out," she warned and he shook his head with a smile as he leaned back on the couch, she rested her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped an arm around her.

"Besides, crushes aren't the girl I'm falling asleep next to every night," he murmured, and she smiled.

"Exactly, so don't get jealous when I get giggly around your male friends, you just happen to have really attractive male friends," she said, and he laughed.

"Thanks," he said.

<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>

Her birthday came around, they were close together, but she was in July instead of June. He asked what she wanted and instead of making him struggle, she told him.

"Fireworks," she said, and he looked at her.

"Fireworks?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I love fireworks, they happen near my birthday since the Fourth of July and I love them," she said and he smiled, nodding.

"I'll have to see what I can do, I don't know the restrictions here," he said rubbing his beard and she smiled.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she promised, patting his bicep and he sighed.

"Thanks," he replied.

It was breakfast time; she was buried in her cereal and her laptop trying to find baby clothes. Chris came in and sat down across from her, she glanced up at him.

"You good?" she asked, and he smiled. He had woken her up with a Happy Birthday morning session and had attempted to bring her breakfast in bed, but she said she had to get out or she'd be in pain.

"Fine," he remarked and continued to stare at him, she studied him.

"I don't like how you're looking at me, you're up to some-" she started, and a Facetime rang on her laptop, a number she didn't recognize. "Who is this?" she asked.

"Answer it," he commanded, and she looked at him.

"But I don't even know the number," she argued, and he sighed, coming around her side. He pressed the answer and the screen was filled with the godliness that was Sebastian Stan, he smiled when he saw both of their faces.

"I got the right number!" he exclaimed. "Happy Birthday Kiania!" he shouted, and she stared in shock, he laughed as did Chris.

"I told you she wouldn't expect it," Chris said and she looked at him.

"You dick, you could've told me so I could have showered," she said and looked back at Sebastian who smiled.

"You look gorgeous, don't worry about it," he said, and she smiled, nearly blushing. "Chris told me that you were a fan and I had to give you a Happy Birthday call," he said.

"Well I'm honored," she replied, and he smiled.

"I also wanted you to call because we have some news," Chris said and she glanced up at him then back at Sebastian.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked.

"Stand up, Kiania," Chris said, backing up and Kiania slowly stood, Chris titled the screen back.

"Holy shit, you're having a baby!" Sebastian exclaimed and she smiled, Chris nodded putting a hand on her very pregnant stomach.

"We are," he said.

"How far along are you?" he asked.

"Eight months," she announced.

"Chris I've spoken to you during that time!" Sebastian yelled and Chris grinned.

"Sorry, we were trying to keep it low key, but I figured what better time to tell you?" he asked, and Sebastian shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Well I'm happy for both of you and honored you felt comfortable telling me," he said, and Chris nodded, holding the seat for Kiania to sit back down.

"Of course," he agreed.

"Have you told Scarlett?" he asked, and Chris shook his head. "Well you already know what that phone call is going to be like," Sebastian said and Chris laughed.

"Oh, I know, she's going to be mad I didn't tell her sooner, might wait until the baby is born," He said, and Sebastian laughed.

"Your funeral man," he warned, and Chris smiled. The conversation continued for another five minutes and then they all hung up.

"Next time, at least let me get some makeup on," she ordered, and Chris smiled, kissing her.

"I don't think you need it but whatever you want," he assured, and she smiled.

"Thank you," she said, and he nodded.

"Just the start, trust me," he promised. The rest of the day was filled with him waiting on her hand and foot but that wasn't new, he did that the further in her pregnancy she got. Gifts were littered throughout the day, beautiful diamond jewelry, and vinyl of her favorite music. He led her out to the back porch that night while his family and her family were over. "This is the biggest present," he said, and she stood on the back deck with him. Within the next ten minutes, the sky was filled with beautiful fireworks and she stared in amazement at them. They were everything and more she could hope for.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him and he smiled, wrapping an arm around her.

Later in the night, Kiania retired to bed first and Chris spent the time cleaning with Scott.

"So, have you asked her to marry you?" Scott asked and Chris shrugged.

"It's come up, but she doesn't sound like she wants to get married," he said, and Scott nodded.

"How are you about that?" he asked.

"I don't know man, I know she loves me, but I don't think she's on the same level as I am with all that," he said.

"How do you know?" Scott asked and Chris sighed.

"I told her I think I'm falling in love with her and she had no response," he said. "She said she loves me, but she doesn't think she's in love with me right now," he said.

"I don't know, what she shows is different than what she's saying," he said. "The way she touches you, kisses you, smiles at you even, that's a girl in love," he argued, and Chris smiled, shrugging.

"Well I just gotta wait it out until she's ready to recognize it, I'm not going to push her," he said, and Scott smiled.

"Admirable," he said, and Chris laughed.

"What else am I going to do? She's stubborn," he said, and Scott smiled again.

"Good, you need a stubborn woman in your life," he said, and Chris rolled his eyes but smiled.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're gone, gone, gone away  
> I watched you disappear  
> All that's left is a ghost of you.  
> Now we're torn, torn, torn apart,  
> There's nothing we can do  
> Just let me go we'll meet again soon  
> Now wait, wait, wait for me  
> Please hang around  
> I'll see you when I fall asleep  
> _Of Monsters and Men_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Tragedy

They were seated on the back deck, her with water and him with a beer, watching the sunset. He glanced over at her when she had been quiet for some time and noticed her hand shielding her eyes, her expression pained.

"Are you all right?" he asked, reaching out and touch her arm.

"Yeah, sorry, I've been getting these headaches," she said and sighed, with a shake of her head. She rose slowly from her seat and took her water in hand. "I'm going to go lay down, I think I was on my feet too long," she explained, and Chris smiled, nodding in encouragement. She went back to the house and he sat watching the sunset by himself.

She laid down unsteadily in bed, wincing with the pain in her side, and laid her head on the pillow, relaxing with the rest. She held her side still but breathed through it the best she could. It would pass, it always did.

<<<<<>>>>>>

"Breathe, breathe, breathe," Chris whispered while gripping her hand and kissed her head, watching the doctor between Kiania's legs.

"Good job, Kiania, just keep breathing and I'll tell you when to push again," he instructed and Kiania nodded, inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth.

"You're doing amazing, babe," Chris said as she gripped his hand tighter while another contraction came.

"Give us a push, Kiania!" the doctor called and Kiania bored down, crying out in pain as she pushed. "We've got the head, one more push, Kiania!" he shouted, and Chris stared down before remembering to give her words of encouragement. Suddenly a cry was heard, and Chris swiftly looked down, watching as the doctor brought a screaming newborn up to view.

"Oh my god!" Chris exclaimed. "Kiania, you did it!" he said and Kiania smiled, the baby was placed on her chest. "Look at them," Chris whispered.

"Congratulations you two, you have a beautiful baby boy," the nurse announced and Kiania looked up to Chris.

"A boy," she murmured, and he nodded smiling. The baby was taken, clean, examined and then given back in a swaddling blanket. Chris held him first and Kiania watched with a smile on her face as tears appeared in his eyes.

"Hi little guy," he said softly and rocked him gently. "He's so perfect," he said looking at her and she nodded.

"Isn't he?" she asked, and he smiled, handing him to her. "Liam Christopher Evans," she announced, and Chris kissed her forehead. He stepped back, smiling as he aimed his camera in her direction and snapped a photo of them, with Kiania smiling.

"You okay?" he asked lowering his phone as he came back to her and she nodded, moving Liam into his arms.

"Just tired," she said and laid back in her pillows, Chris smiled at Liam. The monitor started to beep, and he looked over at it, a nurse moved over.

"Kiania, I'm just going to sit you up all right?" she asked, raising the bed. "I'm going to give you a bit of oxygen as well, all right?" she asked and Kiania nodded. The nurse placed the mask over her face and looked to the monitor.

"Is everything all right?" Chris asked, looking between the nurse, the monitor, and the mother of his child.

"Her oxygen levels just started getting a little too low, I think this will help," she said, keeping her eyes on the monitor. "I'm just going to page her doctor," she said and left the room.

Chris looked back at Kiania.

"Are you okay?" he asked, balancing Liam and reached out to stroke her forehead which felt clammy. She nodded, closing her eyes and Chris took her hand, she squeezed it. Suddenly she started shaking, Chris looked frantically down at her. "Nurse! Nurse!" he shouted, and the nurse rushed back in, another nurse behind her. They began to throw medical jargon back and forth, Chris watched as they began to work. He was pushed back, losing the grip on her hand, and could only stare with their newborn son in his arms. The doctor ran in soon and Chris stared as they did their job. They injected something into her and soon the seizures stopped, her body stilled. Chris looked up at the monitor as the famous Hollywood sound filled the room, the flat line of a stopped heartbeat. Suddenly the task turned from stopping the seizure to resuscitating the patient.

"Mr. Evans, I'm going to ask you to step out for a minute," one of the nurses instructed, her voice was muffled like he was underwater and he didn't notice her hand on his arm until she started leading him from the room.

"No, I want to stay with her," he argued, trying to pull his arm away but she was surprisingly strong, she pushed him out the door. Chris could hear the words "Clear!" shouted again and then again until he heard the next line that changed his entire world.

"Time of death 9:25 pm," the doctor said, and Chris slid down in the chair against the wall, still cradling his son. He stared ahead, not flinching when a hand fell upon his shoulder, and then the doctor crouched before him, holding his gaze. "Mr. Evans? Can you hear me?" he asked, and Chris slowly nodded. "We did everything we could, I am so sorry," he apologized, and Chris looked when a nurse slid her hands beneath the baby.

"Let me take him," she said, and he relinquished him, he was in a state of shock.

"She's...dead?" he asked, and the doctor nodded. "What happened," he asked, tears perking in his blue eyes.

"Had your wife been suffering any sort of headaches? Pain in her side?" he asked, and Chris nodded slowly.

"She said it was part of being pregnant," he murmured, and the doctor sighed.

"No, that wasn't," he said. "I wish she had spoken up," he muttered. "That was what is known as pre-eclampsia," he said. "And left untreated, what just happened can happen," he said and sighed. "Again, I am very sorry," He said, squeezing Chris' shoulder and then left him to sit. He looked up at the nurse with his son and then glanced back at the closed door.

"Can I see her?" He asked and the nurse nodded. Chris stood, his legs felt like they weighed a ton and he followed the nurse into the room that had just been filled with so much happiness. As he entered, he noticed a nurse starting to remove the monitors, she looked up and stopped, stepping back respectfully. Chris stared at the limp form in the bed, her beautiful eyes closed, her chest not rising and falling with every breath Chris would watch while she slept at night. He stopped by her bedside, tentatively taking her hand in his and it left him, all resolve to hold back the tears. He sobbed, he sobbed into his hand, and stared at her. What would he tell her mother? What would he tell his son? A mother who loved him so much for 9 months and only had a fleeting chance to love him in her arms. He reached out and pet her hair, the sweat still lingering on her skin from the labor, the seizures.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Instead of checking out of the hotel with Kiania, bringing their baby home to the nursery, she had so loved, he was checking out by himself and as he took the baby seat out of the back of his car, he eyed the bag of her effects. He slammed the door shut and walked to the front door, it opened. His sister's face filled his gaze, a sad smile on her face and she wrapped him in her arms. He handed her the car seat and wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a beer.

"Have you thought about what you're going to feed him?" she asked coming in with the baby in her arms and Chris looked at Liam.

"They gave me some formula, it's in the bag," he grunted and took a drink of his beer. She nodded and disappeared to fetch it. Chris moved into the dining room and slumped into a chair.

"Chris?" his mother asked, and he looked over at her. She pulled a seat out and sat down across from him. She reached out, taking his hand in hers, and held his gaze.

"What do I do, ma?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders and she sighed, gripping his hand tightly.

"You carry on," she said, and her eyes raised to meet his. "You carry on, but you carry the memory of her with you, for Liam," she said, and he nodded, stroking his beard.

"What the hell do I tell him? I feel like I failed him already," he said.

"You didn't fail him, Christopher, this just...happened," she murmured. "You have to tell him the stories about her, bring his mother to life for him," she said, and he nodded. "You're a strong man, I know you can do this," she assured, and he wiped at his eyes.

"I just keep crying so randomly," he grunted.

"There are always tears, Chris but there will be smiles as well, as Liam grows and you see her in him," she promised, and he sighed. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I am so sorry you had to go through this, I never could imagine being where you are but I want you to know how much I love you and that we are all here for you whatever you need," she promised.

"Thanks, Ma," he said, and she nodded, leaving. Chris got up, noticing the sun was setting, and walked to the back deck. He stopped, staring at the two chairs, and sighed, taking one.

"Chris?" his sister asked, and he glanced back, she had Liam in her arms with a bottle. "Did you want to feed him?" she asked, and he nodded, reaching. She rested the infant in his arms and gave him the bottle. He put the bottle to Liam's lips, and he took it in willingly, feeding. Chris glanced at the empty seat beside him and sighed, shaking his head as his eyes returned to the dying sunlight.

"I'm going to do my best, Ki," he promised to the wind and looked down at the baby, he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.


	30. Epilouge

Chris sat on the bench in the park, Dodger sat beside him on the ground and a smile was on Chris' face, he sipped his coffee. He watched Liam traverse through the play area, laughing with the other kids and run around laughing uproariously.

Liam was six now, it had been six years since Kiania's death and it still haunted Chris like it was moments earlier. It took a lot of empty, lonely nights fighting the demons to get through it and move on from it, never forgetting. He had got a tattoo on her birthday the following year, her signature, and Liam would spend long minutes tracing his fingers over it, asking to hear another story about his mom. Chris filled his mind with the beauty that was his mother, the free spirit, and the way she enchanted every room she entered. They would watch her videos that Chris had rescued from her cell phone and Liam would fall asleep with a smile on his face. Chris would finish the movies and then gently carrying him up to his bed, tucking him in with one of her favorite t-shirts that his grandmother made into a blanket. Liam had her beautiful eyes, something that took Chris a long time to look into without pain but now, they made him smile.

He hadn't gone on a date since her death, he wanted to focus on Liam and he was raising him in Chris' own hometown, surrounded by his family. Every Mother's Day, he would take Liam to the cemetery where Kiania was buried and bring her a bouquet of Stargazer Lillies, her favorite flowers. Liam would sit on the grass, playing with his cars or whatever toys he had brought that day, insistent on playing with his mom. Chris would patiently wait, wanting to give him whatever time with his mother he could. They would go out for milkshakes after and buy one for her. The diner, when it figured out why the third milkshake was bought but never drank, stopped charging him for it. They even changed the name of the shake to Kiania's shake, something that delighted Liam greatly and even more so when he got to order it, hear other people order it.

On her birthday, Chris would buy a cake with lilac frosting and blue icing, her favorite colors. He would have her mom over and his family would celebrate her. After putting Liam to bed, Chris would venture out to the deck and sit in the chair, he hadn't moved either of them since her death. He would sit down in his and open his last beer of the night, putting one on the arm of her chair. He would tell her than of all the going on, what Liam had been doing, and what he had been doing. Told her of the pitfalls, the highs, and how much he wished she was there. He always felt like she was listening and it was the only time he'd allow himself to cry, to let go of the pain he had been holding the entire year. When the beer was done, he would pour the other over the deck railing and after a last look to the sunset, he would return in the house. Another year without her and still it was never easier.


End file.
